Winter's Whispers
by ShowMeYourFury
Summary: Legendary Beacon graduates invite team RWBY to a special training mission. Not everything goes exactly as they expect, and RWBY must help catch a dangerous terrorist loose in an unknown town.
1. The Invitation

**Disclaimer: **This should really be unnecessary, but I do not own or claim to own anything relating to RWBY. RWBY is the property of Monty Oum and Roosterteeth.

**Any and all reviews are welcome. Thank you for reading.**

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><p>The letter sat on the desk, a bright white square outlined by the dark brown of mahogany. In black ink that smelled very faintly of blueberries, in the most exquisite handwritten calligraphy, was a name.<p>

Miss Ruby Rose

Ozpin sat staring at this letter, intended for one of his students, curious as to its contents. "Ruby Rose," he spoke into the public address system, "would you please come to the headmaster's office. Please excuse her from class Professor Port."

* * *

><p>"A letter? For me?" Ruby inquired. "Couldn't this be sent to my dorm room?"<p>

"I'm afraid not, miss Rose. This letter comes from a very unique sender, and it warrants greater... attention than just a normal letter." Ozpin, standing, placed the letter in front of Ruby and she began to open it. "I understand that after your performance in the tournament, you're getting a large amount of interest from those outside of our school." Ozpin walked over to stand in front of his usual vantage point by the window. "I would be very interested in it's contents."

Ruby, not listening, slid a finger underneath the cover, and pulled out a thick piece of paper. The text was handwritten in the same style as the address, but the ink was a light shade of green, and smelled of pine needles. She squealed as she finished reading, "It's an invitation. To team RWBY from team WNTR, for an exclusive training session. Oh boy! How exciting!" Ruby's face was practically glowing with enthusiasm. She paused, thinking, then asked, "Can we go?"

"That decision rests ultimately with you and your team, as the invitation is to you. That said, I would be disappointed if you did not take team WNTR up on their offer. They are graduates from Beacon, and were one of the most impressive, if controversial, groups to ever attend." Ozpin said without turning from the window. He took a sip from his mug before turning around. Ruby was staring at him happily, mouth open in a wide smile. "I'd do my research if I were you. You may leave if, or when, you wish." He took another sip and turned back to the window.

Despite his encouragement, he had some reservations about RWBY accepting the invitation. Team WNTR's past was not one to be celebrated.

* * *

><p>On her way back to her room to share the news, Ruby noticed Pyrrha heading into the library. "Pyrrha! Hey!" Pyrrha turned and smiled when she saw Ruby. The younger girl jogged over and they walked into the library together. In a hushed whisper, Ruby began to reveal the news to the older student, "You'll never guess what just happened!"<p>

"There is an open seat over there." Pyrrha said, pointing. "Why don't we talk while sitting."

"Good idea. Ohmygosh, you're never going to believe this! Ozpin called me up to his office, and I was like 'oh no what did I do?' but then it was okay because he only had a letter and-"

"Ruby, it's a library." The younger girl's volume had increased dramatically.

"Oh, right. Sorry. Anyway, there was a letter and it was for me and it was an invitation!"

"Ruby, the library."

"Yes, I know. But this invitation, it's for my whole team and it's for a special training session with team WNTR! I don't know who they are, but Ozpin said they were special and... what's wrong?" While Ruby had been talking, Pyrrha's jaw had dropped and she had started to stand. Her green eyes were a mix of amazement and subtle, non-aggressive jealousy.

"Ruby, team WNTR is... well, they're famous. They had a member at my last tournament. One of my greatest disappointments was not being able to watch his match. That sounds like quite an opportunity!"

"Ohmygosh I know, right! I can't wait to tell the others!" This last outburst was met with a vicious _shush_ from the librarian. "Sorry..."

"But Ruby, with a team like that, a training session with them could mean going into what is essentially a Grimm fortress." This comment only brightened the spark in Ruby's eyes. "Ruby, that is not a good thing."

Ruby's hands raised to her chin and she began shaking uncontrollably. "I'm. So. Excited!" Before Pyrrha could react, a trail of falling rose petals and a swinging door signaled that the younger huntress had sped away. The librarian glared, first at the door, then at Pyrrha, who could only shrug apologetically.

* * *

><p>The door to team RWBY's room burst open with a bright red flash as Ruby entered. Raising her arm and pointing at the ceiling, "TEAM RWBY ASSEMBLE! BIG NEWS!" she called. Yang, sitting on her bed, removed her headphones. Blake looked up from her notes and closed her book. "Wait, where's Weiss?"<p>

"Neptune came by to pick her up." Blake answered. "What's the big news?"

"I can't tell you unless the whole team is here." Ruby said, crossing her arms. "It's team news, the whole team has to be here. Did she say when she'd be back?"

The door opened behind her, and with a couple clacking footsteps, Weiss entered. "When who'd be back?" Ruby flashed over to her so fast Weiss nearly fell over backwards, having to brace herself in the doorway to keep her balance.

Her energy spiraling out of control, Ruby practically shouted "Ohmygosh the best news ever you'll never believe it it's so great ohmygosh!"

"Slow down Ruby!" Yang said as she descended to the floor with a short leap, headphones wrapped around her neck. Ruby bent over and exhaled, then stood up.

With an extended inhalation, she unleashed the contents of the letter.

When she was finished, all three of her teammates were staring at her with their mouths ajar. "Isn't that great?!"

"So you're telling me," Weiss began, one hand resting on her hips. "That _the _team WNTR, invited _us_ for a training session? That is... unbelievable!"

Ruby turned to her partner slowly. "I did say you weren't going to believe it." she said, rolling her eyes.

"How do you know about team WNTR, Weiss? I've never heard of them." Yang asked.

"They are one of the _most_ legendary teams to ever graduate from Beacon! Do you honestly think I would leave Atlas without a good reason? I did a lot of research before applying to this school, including looking up notable graduates. Their mission record was just below a world record, a record set by official hunters and huntresses!"

Blake turned away from the others and walked back to her bed. She pulled out one of the books that held up Yang's bunk and started flipping through it. "I swear I've heard something about them. That name sounds very familiar."

Ruby was barely listening. She hadn't been listening since Weiss mentioned 'legendary team'. She just kept quietly repeating "Ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh..." as the others talked.

Yang shrugged and began climbing back up into her bunk. "What's so special about them? Why aren't they plastered all over the school?"

"I can't really remember." Weiss replied. She held her chin in her left hand, and was looking far off out the window. "Something about the faunus..."

Blake suddenly slammed the book she had been looking through. She sighed and put it back between the rest. "It's because they were faunus. All four of them. They enrolled right after the White Fang started attacking stores, and were the first all-faunus team. Vale had riots just outside the gates of Beacon because of it. I guess that, even now, that's not something Beacon wants to advertise."

Ruby had stopped drooling over the thought of training with legends and furrowed her brow at this latest development. "That's ridiculous! Ozpin said they were controversial, but to hide the actions of such an incredible team based solely on their race is... ridiculous!" She crossed her arms and pouted.

The four girls had moved to their respective beds. Blake lay on her back and stared at the bottom of Yang's bunk, using her arm as a cushion for her head. Weiss sat down with her hands on her knees and stared at the middle of the floor. Yang was laying on her stomach, one headphone covering her ear. Ruby was sitting cross-legged, glaring at the door as if it was the sole culprit of the persecution. Blake broke the brief silence. "Unfortunately, it's still not that rare." The silence resumed.

Ruby was the one to disrupt the quiet. Eyeballing her teammates, she half-mumbled through pursed lips, "Do you guys still want to go?"

The response was unanimous and instantaneous. "Absolutely."

* * *

><p>The sunset was a masterpiece of vibrant colors casting shaded silhouettes on the few clouds lazily drifting across the sky. Ozpin had always enjoyed the sunset, particularly when the coffee tasted as good as it did today. "Five... four... three..." he counted to himself, "two... one... and... cue!"<p>

Following his orders, the door to his office burst open to reveal Glynda Goodwitch stomping her way across the room, eyes blazing with an anger normally reserved only for exceptionally disruptive students. Ozpin took another sip of coffee, possibly his last, he reflected, before turning around and greeting the huntress. "You are not usually the last one to show up Glynda. Were you very busy today?"

Glynda finished the long cross from the door to the large bay window before speaking. Her furious expression was inches away from Ozpin's face as she hissed, "Do not try to distract me with such mundane trivialities! How dare you allow team RWBY to go see team WNTR! You were the one who passed the 'rumors' on to me, and you know exactly how true they really are. What are you thinking?" She punched Ozpin in the shoulder, then crossed her arms, obviously awaiting a detailed explanation. Ozpin sighed and gently nursed his shoulder while setting his mug on the desk.

"I sincerely doubt you would support any justification I gave. The most simple reason is I believe that team RWBY has the highest chance of discouraging the behavior WNTR has come to embrace. Perhaps between their unique team dynamics and convictions, team WNTR will realize the error of their ways." He held Glynda's sharp glare until her eyebrows relaxed and she looked away.

"But what if they can't change their minds?" She said, sounding worried and defeated by Ozpin's reasoning. "Who else did you tell about this?"

Ozpin looked up at the ceiling, feigning a struggle to remember. "Professor Port and Doctor Oobleck stopped by to inquire as to why team RWBY was excused from their classes. When I told them, they both reacted very similarly to you, Glynda." He rested his hands on the huntress' shoulders. "They are going to be okay, I promise you." He knew Glynda didn't fully believe him, and he wasn't entirely sure he believed himself. But the gears were in motion, and only time would reveal the consequences**.**


	2. Valley of the White Wind

Ruby waved thanks to the pilot of the Beacon airship as it lifted off, heading back to the school. She got a small salute in return, and spun around to catch up to her team. Weiss, Blake, and Yang were stopped just in front of the ticket booth, Yang crouched by her luggage with Weiss and Blake standing over her. As Ruby got closer, she heard Weiss berating Yang.

"How could you forget your scroll! It's the most important accessory for your academic life, and you leave it on your bunk! Honestly, it's a wonder we get anything done!"

Ruby smirked and rolled her eyes. This was just like Yang. If it was anything like the last trip they took together, Yang would have remembered all her snacks, changes of clothes, and three pairs of sunglasses, but fail to pack any entertainment for herself. Which usually resulted in a bored, feisty Yang trying to fight anything that moved.

As she joined her teammates, a loud whistle signaled the arrival of the train. The four girls quickly grabbed their luggage, Weiss struggling to drag her four bags at once, and scampered through the ticket booth.

* * *

><p>The train was moderately large, with plump, comfortable seats on either side of the walkway. The team had a whole car to themselves, which was lucky because anyone trapped in their car would have been crushed by Weiss' luggage. Ruby stretched out across two seats, an '<em>X-ray and Vav<em>'pressed against her face. Weiss was looking out the window at the winter scenery that flashed past the swiftly moving train. Blake was, of all things, studying for Doctor Oobleck's history class.

Standing in the corner with her arms crossed and her headphones draped uselessly around her neck,Yang observed her teammates. She felt so, _so_, embarrassed for forgetting her scroll. There wasn't even anything she could punch on the train. Maybe they'd run into some aggressive Grimm on the tracks, and she could beat the shit out of them. She rolled her eyes, she'd just have to ask for something to entertain herself.

She walked over to her sister, boots clunking along the metal floor. "Hey Rubes, what do you _Vav_ over there?" She smiled at her pun as her three teammates groaned. "Anything I could borrow?"

"No, Yang, sorry. I only have the one, and you already read it." Ruby gave her an apologetic look before returning her attention to her graphic novel. Yang huffed and crossed her arms, turning to Weiss.

"What are you looking at Weiss? Anything interesting to _Schnee_?" More groans, this time accompanied by exaggerated eye-rolling. The heiress gave her a withering glare, so Yang turned finally to her partner. "Hey, Blake, cat got your-" Glaring golden eyes cut her off before she finished. She pouted, and sat down in a bored huff. "Come on guys! I'm soooooooooooooo bored!"

"Why don't you just go to sleep? You seem to do it on whim in Professor Port's class, so why can't you here?" Weiss said without trying to hide the aggravation in her voice.

Yang smiled at the white-haired woman, "I can't just _do it_. I've got to mentally prepare myself! It actually takes a lot of set up."

Blue eyes narrowed at her in skepticism. "You're lying."

"Totally!" Yang crossed her arms, laid her head back on the mostly-comfortable seat, and immediately fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Ruby pulled the comic down enough so she could see her sister over the edge of the pages. She sighed in relief when she saw Yang quietly snoring. "Phew! Mission accomplished girls! Well done, Weiss!" She whispered, and the partners exchanged a thumbs-up. "Now that she won't interrupt every ten seconds saying she's bored, we can discuss our findings. Blake, you first." All three conscious girls scooted together, hunched over conspiratorially.<p>

The cat faunus closed her book and set it back carefully in her bag. She rested her elbows on her knees and intertwined her fingers. "Team WNTR is unaffiliated with the White Fang. Apparently, they actually dismantled several cells hiding in Vale. However, there were multiple reports of humans accusing team WNTR of attacking them. Each report was filed after the humans were arrested for assaulting faunus civilians." Blake's eyes were a mix of caution and admiration, Ruby noticed.

"Good work. So they'll attack in the defense of other faunus, but don't support the extremist actions of the White Fang. Weiss, do you have anything?"

"Yes, but not as much as I'd like. Team WNTR's mission record is nearly perfect. Every supervised mission received either a 95% or above." It was clear to Ruby that Weiss was impressed, the sarcastic tone in her voice was absent. "Unfortunately, I was unable to discover full names or weapons. Beacon was more... stringent about protecting student identities back then. 'W' was an aura specialist, 'N' and 'R' were related, 'T' is a large male. That's the only credible material I could dig up."

Ruby was a little disappointed that her partner's research held so few results. "Excellent job. We'll just have to work with that, I guess. We'll fill Yang in when we get closer, but for now, the more she sleeps the smoother the ride for the rest of us." She leaned back against the seat, and thought about the new data. Controversial indeed. What was the true face of team WNTR? They were obviously faunus-sympathetic, but they were against the White Fang? Blake was evidence that the White Fang promoted the faunus cause, and only recently started incorporating terrorist attacks. She wouldn't have any more information until they got to their destination.

The train hummed along as the cloaked leader settled in for the duration of the ride. Small snowflakes, like miniature versions of Weiss' glyphs, began to fall, melting as they touched the ground. Deciduous trees passed by in a whirl of white-covered orange, the change of seasons evident upon their boughs. Giant evergreens slowly replaced the colorful foliage, and before long the forest was speckled with evidence of civilization. The train released a deafening whistle as it approached RWBY's intended departure.

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><p>The four girls rose from their seats as the train slid to a smooth stop. The doors opened and freezing wind fluttered their hair. They grabbed their luggage, Yang carrying most of Weiss's, and exited into the white-covered town. "Now what?" Yang asked, voicing what all four were thinking. There hadn't been any instructions in the invitation other than 'take the train to the Valley of the White Wind'.<p>

A small woman approached the four, bowing slightly when she was close. She was wearing a long brown dress covered with a dark gray cloak, hood pulled up. She had brown fur gloves and half-length leather boots with fur cuffs. "Welcome team RWBY." she said, her voice smooth and light, reminding Ruby of caramel flavored coffee. "Ms. Jade has requested that you let me take your luggage to your lodgings."

"That's great! Who is Ms. Jade?" Yang asked, once again speaking their collective thoughts.

The small woman did not seem affected by the question, quickly answering "Ms. Jade is the leader of team WNTR. She and her team are currently indisposed, but would like me to take your things in order for you to explore the town." She straightened and held out her hands.

Ruby and Yang both made to hand over their suitcases, but Weiss stopped them by laying a hand on Ruby's arm. Her blue eyes were narrowed at the woman. "How can we trust you?" She said accusingly. Ruby quickly jumped up and stood between Weiss and WNTR's messenger, sputtering apologies.

The woman's mouth opened in a small smile. "Ms. Schnee, I was sent by Ms. Jade to take your bags. In order to prove it, I will ask Ms. Belladonna to reveal her ears." Everyone paused, looking at Blake, who was staring wide-eyed at the woman. "This town is mostly faunus, Ms. Belladonna, you have nothing to hide."

Blake very slowly, almost cautiously, removed the ribbon covering her ears, and wrapped it around her left bicep.

"What lovely ears. I've always liked cats." the woman said, smiling again. "Now, you're luggage, please."

* * *

><p>Free of their luggage, team RWBY wandered the snow-covered town. The buildings were low to the ground, the largest being three stories high, but had very sloped roofs. There were few structures made with steel or modern materials, most buildings were constructed of wood or chiseled stone. Weiss was the first to spot a sign for a tailor shop. The four spent the next couple hours outfitting themselves for the freezing weather.<p>

Yang was looking at hats when Blake slid up beside her. "What's up, Blake? Found any good hats?"

Blake nodded, then pulled on Yang's arm. "Did you see that woman's eyes?"

"Which woman? The train station woman?"

"Yes. They were white. She was blind, Yang."

Yang froze. "But she... she knew you had cat ears..." she turned to her partner. "Do you think she was up to something?"

Blake shook her head. "She probably sensed our aura, and most faunus can determine 'species' based on that alone. For example, that woman was a wolf faunus. Still, I don't think that she was just some errand-woman for team WNTR."

"Have you let Ruby know?"

"That's where I'm headed next. Also, that yellow hat would look good on you."

Ruby had decided on her purchase. She had black fur-lined leather boots that came halfway to her knees, red textile leggings with black stripes, and a black woolen sweater. She covered it all with her red cloak, and strapped Crescent Rose diagonally across her torso with a black leather strap. "Swag." she affirmed to herself while examining her outfit in the mirror. She pulled aside the curtain to see Blake leaning against the wall. "Check it, Blake."

"It's missing something." The older girl said, and held out a red beanie hat lined with white fur. Ruby put it on and hummed softly in comfort. The beanie was very, very warm. But not too warm, just the perfect amount of-

Her thoughts were interrupted by Blake whispering in her ear. "That woman was from WNTR. I have no proof, but I think she was sent to scout us out." Ruby's comfort faded to concentration.

"Her eyes were strange." Blake nodded in agreement. "I think you're right. They're doing as much research on us as we are on them. Do you think they think that we know that they know that we are both thinking the same thing of each other?"

Blake looked confused, Ruby's rapid-fire speech blending together into gibberish. "Weiss, could you translate that?"

Weiss, the only one capable of understanding Ruby when she talked so fast, responded from within the changing room. "Ruby, you dolt! Talk slower!" Her usual reply in such situations. "She said, do you think WNTR is aware of our suspicions?"

"No, but I think we should be more cautious from now on."

Ruby nodded, and heard Yang call out an affirmative as well. Weiss emerged from her changing room, now wearing long white leather boots that covered her knees, black leggings, a double breasted petticoat hemmed in black fur, a bright blue scarf, and a white ushanka hiding her hair, save for her ponytail.

"Absolutely. How do I look?" Ruby gave her two thumbs up, Blake nodded, and Yang spoke up from the shoe section.

"Pretty badass, Ice Queen." This comment earned her an icy glare from Weiss.

Ruby, back in deep thought, decided on their next step. "Yang, Blake, get equipped. Shopping is over, we're going to search the town for some clues." It was their turn to make a move, but Ruby found herself questioning why she suddenly felt like this meeting was becoming a competition.

They left the clothier, Blake deciding on tall black leather boots with felt lining, purple leggings, a black, loose-fitting knitted sweater, a purple scarf and a knitted toque of matching color. Yang, ever flamboyant, had chosen subtle brown leather boots with fur lining and yellow trim, black leggings with yellow pinstripes, a brown fur vest, a long yellow scarf, and a yellow knitted cap with a visor. She had really taken a liking to the hat after Blake had pointed out how good it looked on her. Blake had asked her if she'd be cold without sleeves, but she had shrugged it off. Despite the chilly air, Yang could feel herself starting to run hot.


	3. Jade

She walked down the cobblestone road with her hands in the pockets of her vest. Her breath had frozen on the scarf around her neck, chilling her neck. She was uncomfortable and alone, having been sent by Ruby to investigate this side of the town. They'd split up three hours ago, planning to rendezvous at a restaurant close to the train station. She pulled off her hat and ran a hand through her thick blonde hair. She was frustrated, having found nothing related to team WNTR in her search area. A brief chat with a mouse faunus had indicated that the local government was centered in a hamlet at the end of the road she was walking on. She could see it in the distance, a dark gray amidst the white of the valley.

The Valley of the White Wind, so named because it snowed so frequently and so heavily that the wind was practically a solid wall of snowflakes. Established within the last fifty years, it had been a refuge for faunus despite being primarily governed by humans. Or so Blake had said. Yang didn't really care, but there certainly were a lot of faunus in the valley. She sometimes felt that they were looking at her strangely, but that could just be because of the gleaming golden gauntlets that covered her arms. A child had asked to touch them, and she had obliged, admiring the child's excitement.

However, now that she was near the center of government, she noticed very few faunus. Humans were walking from building to building, ignoring her presence and huddling against the wind. She _did _notice a number of posters attached to the walls of buildings. Approaching one, it read 'WANTED FOR CRIMES AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT' and a name. "What kind of name is Whisper?" She heard a gasp from her left and turned, raising an eyebrow. "What?"

The offending human, a middle-aged woman in a brown coat, held her hand to her mouth in shock. "You mean you don't know? Whisper is a faunus terrorist! He and his compatriots regularly attack or dismantle government offices throughout the valley."

"Oh? Why hasn't he been caught?"

"The dirty faunus in the lower valley are protecting him! They don't approve of the recent legislature, and have run out their mayor. Filthy idiots if you ask me."

Yang thanked the woman and continued walking. Maybe the valley wasn't as peaceful as she had initially thought. A faunus terrorist sounded pretty familiar though. Perhaps that was why WNTR was here, to shut down an extended arm of the White Fang? That woman was incredibly prejudiced. Whisper could be independent, fighting against persecution at the hands of an unsympathetic governing body. She could get more information at the-

Two men in blue coats bumped into her on either side, dislodging her hands from her pockets. Wrong move. Her gauntleted arms whipped behind her, snagging the collars of the two men.

"Hey boys. Busy? Of course you're not." She dragged them behind a house, ignoring their protests. She slammed them against the walls of a stone building, then clasped her hands together behind her back and smiled. "Tell me about Whisper." she asked in a light, pleasant voice.

"Look lady, we have to be somewhere." The man on the right said, rubbing his neck.

"Oh, don't call me lady. Why don't you call me... sir?" Yang replied, eyes narrowing. Steam began rising slowly from her hair. "You bumped into me, consider this your apology." her voice was a little deeper now.

"Uh... no. We're busy men, we don't have time to entertain a little girl like you."

Yang dipped her head and smiled. When she looked up again, her eyes were bright red. "You better start talking while I'm still nice." Yang was now using her angry voice, nearly a growl, and she could see the man on the left take notice.

"Look, bitch, we're leaving, and there's nothing you can do about it." Wrong move.

* * *

><p>The shopkeeper in a nearby store looked around when he heard an unusual <em>bang<em>. Children on a nearby porch were remarking to each other how magnificently the man had come flying over a roof and landed in the snow. Several passersby looked questioningly at the man lying in the middle of the street clutching his testicles. Yang grabbed tight to the second man's coat, lifting him to where his toes were barely touching the ground. "Start talking about Whisper."

The man held up his hands pleadingly, and started sputtering nonsense. Yang dropped him and put her hands on her hips. The man covered his head and started jabbering, shaking sobs interrupting his speech. "H-he's a terrorist! He operates in the lower valley, being a-aided by the locals."

"When did he show up?"  
>"Two years ago. The town h-hall down there b-blew up and the word 'whisper' was found scratched into the r-remains. Since then, a government building will be attacked twice a m-month or so."<p>

"Is he related to the White Fang?"  
>"What?"<p>

"Forget it. Tell me about team WNTR."

"T-they showed up a-about two months after him. They said they were going to stop the Grimm, but there hasn't been any major Grimm activity in years! We asked them to help catch Whisper, but so far even they haven't managed to get anything."

"Why are the faunus angry with the government?"

"I-I don't know! Ask them!"

"I'm asking you." She brandished a fist in his face. "Want to end up like your friend?"

"The governor just instituted a policy that increases the taxes on faunus-owned businesses. If they can't pay, the government takes it over."

"Essentially, humans take over."

"Right."

Yang sighed, and waved the man away. He got up and ran, slipping in the snow. Things just got _real _complicated. Why weren't WNTR addressing the terrorism? Tensions between humans and faunus were really stressed, probably on the edge of open violence.

She turned and started walking back toward the train station, one question in her mind. If there weren't any Grimm...

* * *

><p>"Then why are <em>we<em> here?" Weiss shouted, earning confused looks from the other patrons. Blake reached over and put a hand in front of her mouth.

"She's right. What was the invitation for then? Special training that doesn't include hunting Grimm?"

Ruby, speedily consuming appetizers, answered between bites. "They could need help with Whisper. We _did_ track down an underground terrorist organization, remember."

"Then why not just say it!" The heiress shouted again, this time receiving glares from the other diners, as well as Blake. "I mean, they've had plenty of opportunity to tell us just _what _it is that we're here for, but they've neglected to even meet with us! It's seriously rude." She crossed her arms, fuming.

Gulping down the last appetizer, Ruby addressed the group. "Good job everyone. Thanks to Weiss, we learned that the current government has only been in power for a year, and has recently begun instituting anti-faunus laws. Blake discovered that the local faunus approve of both WNTR and Whisper, as well as the fact that the White Fang has absolutely no presence in the valley. Yang got us some extra information on Whisper's activities. You didn't hurt them too bad, did you?"

"Nah, sis. They walked away."

"Oh good." Ruby licked her lips as the waiter began placing their entrees on the table. "I have located team WNTR's hunting lodge. We aren't expected for another hour and a half, but lets try to be a little early, okay?" Her teammates agreed, and all four dug in.

* * *

><p>The hunting lodge was a very large structure, built mostly of cut stone, surrounded by a metal fence. The windows spread illumination into the darkening dusk, but were impossible to see through because of the frost. The steep wooden roof cut into the sky like a knife, making the building seem larger than it was. On the south side of the lodge, there was a long, curved wall with no windows.<p>

The four girls walked through the large wooden doors, the chill of the evening air being replaced by the embracing warmth of several fires lying in recesses along the hallway. Ruby pulled down her hood, and led the way down the hall. It was decorated with pictures and trophies, presumably difficult missions for team WNTR. Benches and end tables lined the north wall, and Ruby guessed that those were for visitors to use while waiting.

Just ahead, standing by another set of doors, was a tall woman wearing a long green dress with a fur cloak. She had four black horns extending backwards from her forehead, framed by long hair that shone like shaved ice. The woman smiled and called down the hallway to the girls, "Please, come in. I've just finished the preparations for dessert." She raised her hand, gesturing them forward.

As the four got closer, Ruby got a better look at their host. She had smooth pale skin that glowed a somber yellow in the firelight. Her eyes were a bright green with a band of darker green ringing the pupils. Her hair, an impressive white, was braided at the ends and had two green ties over her ears. "I am Jade, leader of team WNTR. Welcome to our hunting lodge." she spoke, her voice silvery and quiet.

Blake, walking beside Yang, suddenly stopped. Ruby noticed, looking back at her friend. Blake's upper ears were flat against her head, and her golden eyes were very wide, focused on Jade. Ruby gave her a questioning look, but as she opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, Blake cut her off.

"You... y-you're a dragon!" Blake said with disbelief. Jade's smile grew a little wider, but the charm in her eyes dimmed a little. Ruby looked slowly from Blake to Jade, mouth hanging open in shock. Was this possible? She saw the same looks of confusion on the faces of Weiss and Yang.

"I am indeed." Jade said, confirming Blake's accusation. She let out a quiet, short laugh as team RWBY recovered from her admission, struggling to close their gaping mouths. "Yes, I am a dragon faunus. Now, please come inside, dessert is waiting."

* * *

><p>The dining room was a rather small room, as the kitchen was attached in the northwest corner. The dining table was set up next to the east wall, with a fireplace heating the room from the northeast corner. Bookcases lined the south wall, flanking the set of double doors. Electric lights hung from the ceiling, illuminating the room. Ten chairs were arranged around the table, all pieces made of stained pine. Jade stood by her chair at the head of the table, closest to the fireplace. Team RWBY sat themselves on the opposite end, Ruby at the head with Yang on her left and Weiss to her immediate right. Blake sat on Weiss' right, closer to Jade than she thought she was comfortable with. "Please eat." Jade said, beckoning to the desserts set on the tabletop.<p>

Yang knew without looking that Ruby had already been won over by their host. Multiple cakes, pies, and plates of cookies decorated the table's surface, and Ruby's plate was already filling up. Weiss helped herself to a piece of cake and a single cookie. Blake had chosen a piece of blueberry pie to begin, but Yang could tell she was keeping an eye on a decadent looking cake in the corner. Yang chose two small pieces of pie and a cookie, not feeling very hungry.

Displaying her upbringing, Weiss addressed Jade before she ate. "Thank you very much, Jade. We really appreciate your effort. Everything looks delicious." Jade nodded toward her in thanks.

With crumbs falling from her mouth and cookies in both hands, Ruby looked up and tried to speak around the food in her mouth. "Mmmh, yeah. Thanksh a bunsh." Blake and Weiss simultaneously rested their foreheads in their hands, causing Yang to laugh. Jade smiled and whispered a small thanks before seating herself. Yang noticed she didn't take any food, but attributed it to her politeness.

Blake, having finished her pie, reached for a slice of the cake she'd been watching. "Jade, while exploring the town, we heard that there are very few Grimm in the area."

Their host easily caught the question hidden in her statement. "Team WNTR is currently hunting a faunus terrorist named Whisper." Team RWBY paused, save for their leader who grabbed another cookie.

"We've heard of him. He's attacking the government."

"Yes, and that is why I invited your team here. Your impressive combat skills, combined with your success in uncovering the plot by the White Fang, convinced me that you'd be perfect to help us catch him."

Ruby gulped down the remains of the plate of cookies, burped, then wiped her mouth with her sleeve. Weiss was giving her a glare and shaking her head, but the redhead ignored her. "We'd be happy to help. When do we begin?" Yang rolled her eyes. Ruby could never stand still, always wanting to run off and start the next step. Well, except when it came to studying.

Jade clasped her hands together in front of her mouth. "Unfortunately, my team is away on a mission, and I don't expect them back for another two days. There is a blizzard forming further up the mountains, and it is anticipated to hit the valley tonight. We can't go anywhere during this time." All eyes were on Jade, the food in front of them discarded. "Well, may I show you to your rooms?"

* * *

><p>The bedrooms were located on the east side of the lodge. There were seven large beds, each covered with cotton sheets and a fur comforter. Nightstands were placed in the spaces between each bed, and the girls found their luggage collected close by the door. There was a fireplace in the northeast corner, chairs and bookcases in the southeastern and southwestern corners, and dressers lined the north wall. There was a door to another room on the south wall, but it only lead to a small closet connected to the outside. The girls changed into their pajamas, and prepared for the night. Blake chose the bed closest to the fireplace, much to Ruby's envy. Yang chose the next bed down, between the faunus and her sister, with Weiss closest to the south door.<p>

"Why do I always have to be next to the coldest place in the room!" Weiss complained rhetorically, her teammates giggling at her misfortune. "Just because everyone calls me 'Ice Queen' does _not_ mean I _like _the cold!"

"Alright team! First impressions!" Ruby called out from under the covers. "Blake first."

The black-haired girl was sitting up reading, but put down the book and looked at the foot of the bed. "I can't believe she's a real dragon. I didn't even know that was possible. She's very nice, though."

"Agreed. Yang!"

The blonde brawler was stretching her arms, Ember Celica resting on a nightstand. "I wonder what her semblance is. Think it's fire breath?"

"Yang." Ruby was in serious mode, apparently.

"She's strong, her team is strong, why haven't they solved the problem with Whisper? And why did that blind woman say team WNTR was indisposed if Jade was here? She's not telling us the whole story."

"Took the words from my mouth. Weiss?"

The heiress was sitting cross-legged on top of the bed, unperturbed by the cold despite her protests. "Well, she was right about the blizzard. According to my scroll, snowfall is increasing and temperatures are dropping all along the valley. We're snowed in."

Ruby, snuggling further and further into her bed, paused for a moment. Yang could tell she was analyzing all their reactions and collecting data, planning their next move. "This bed is soooooooooo soft..." Or not.

"So, what do you think Ruby?" She prompted her sister.

"Oh, right. Um, well, we know Jade is hunting Whisper. We know they don't trust us enough to tell us the whole truth, which means we'll have to do some of our own investigating. We're stuck here for tomorrow at least, so we'll start our search in the lodge. Blake, you're on mission records duty. Find out anything you can from their recent hunts. Weiss, you're on inspection duty. Check for anything out of what you would presume to be ordinary within the lodge. Yang, you and I will try to get some more information out of Jade. Okay? Ready..."

"Break!" All girls cried together. Yang was always impressed when Ruby was able to form such a specific plan so quickly. She had quickly come to understand why Professor Ozpin had made her the team leader.

Within minutes, all four were asleep, Yang and Ruby competing for the loudest snores.


	4. Snowed In

They had woken to an empty lodge, but also an exquisitely prepared breakfast. Blake and Weiss watched horrified as Yang and Ruby demolished several plates of pancakes. Despite a healthy fire, the chill from the blizzard outside could be felt. Ruby looked out the window, barely able to see the fence due to the heavy snow. They were confined to the lodge for the day. Blake and Weiss had immediately started searching the building for clues related to either team WNTR or Whisper, but after a couple hours turned up empty handed. Ruby suggested the team examine the one room they hadn't been in yet, the curved room on the south side of the lodge.

Storied bleachers lined the west wall, ending next to a fireplace beside a door that led outside. Two racks adorned the east wall, labeled 'ARMOR' and 'WEAPONS'. The center of the room was dominated by a large, circular pit made of stone. There were two smaller pits made of wood, and a padded area that was covered in exercise equipment.

* * *

><p>Yang was pacing angrily around the arena, arms hanging by her side, fists clenched. Steam was rising faintly from her hair. "I'm so BORED! I can't believe we're not out looking for Whisper because of a stupid blizzard! Argh!" She punched the torso off of a training dummy, and it slammed against the wall. Her teammates, all sitting on the bleachers nearby, paid little attention to her outbursts. There was no consoling an angry and bored Yang, and they had all seen this coming since the day they had arrived. Ruby, gnawing on her tongue in concentration, was playing a game on her scroll. Blake was sketching in her notebook, her hands dusty and black from the charcoal pencil. Weiss was polishing Myrtenaster, paying intense attention to the hilt. "Aren't any of you bored?" All three girls looked up simultaneously, shook their heads, and resumed their various activities.<p>

Weiss paused in her efforts, and while testing the rotation speed of her rapier, explained their passivity. "Jade said that we'd go out when the storm finishes. We're here for a few more days, and the blizzard can't last too much longer."

Still pacing, Yang threw up her arms in aggravation. "That doesn't change the fact that just sitting here is driving me crazy! I need something to punch..." She stopped, eyeballing her teammates deviously. "Ruby, want to spar?"

Not diverting her gaze from her scroll, Ruby shook her head. "Nah. You wouldn't win anyway."

"What? I'll take you. Come on, bring it." Yang raised her fists into a mock guard. "If I catch you, I win, 'kay?" The younger sister ignored her, and kept playing her game. "Blake? Want a piece of this action?"

Shining yellow eyes glanced up, then back down at the sketchbook. "No thanks. I'm actually kind of busy on this project."

Rejected twice now, Yang sighed and turned to the last candidate from her team. "Weiss? I bet you can't hit me with your sword."

Weiss scoffed and glared at her golden compatriot. "You _know _I don't 'spar' unless it's for school. Besides, I just finished polishing. No. Thanks."

"Ugh, if I don't find something to beat to death in the next thirty seconds, I think I'm going to explode!" Yang said, frustrated by the lack of smashable objects in the immediate area.

* * *

><p>There was a loud groan of wood followed by a gust of frigid air. Wind howled into the arena, bringing small flurries of melting snowflakes. A dull thud of wood followed by a metallic latching noise silenced the wind. The surviving snowflakes spent their remaining moments falling softly to melt on the arena floor. Yang paused in her ranting and looked at the entrance, arms slowly lowering to her sides. Heavy footsteps of metal on stone echoed from the hallway. Shining armor, dusted with snow, stomped into the light. A massive hammer, slightly larger than Ruby's Crescent Rose, rested on shoulders that would shame an Ursa, secured by straps of leather. A brown-furred cloak covered the warrior's back, disturbed in the still air by a thick tail tufted with dark tan hair. "I accept your challenge, furious golden warrior." came a deep and husky voice.<p>

Yang sized up this giant new opponent. Likely seven feet tall, fair skinned, a dark tan mohawk that seemed carefully maintained, and a dense mustache that connected to a thick, braided beard that extended down to the man's chest. Gleaming silver armor covered the majority of his body, save for his hands which were gloved in black leather. His eyes were a light brown with gold sprinkled on the edges. He had four parallel scars stretching from the edge of his left eyebrow to his right jaw. "What's up? Yang Xiao Long, team RWBY. Pleasure to fight you." she said, raising a gauntleted arm in greeting.

The warrior stepped further into the light, and removed his cloak. He smiled, revealing bright white teeth, normal except for extended canines. He bowed, saying, "Thor Runesteel of team WNTR." He rose and winked at her. "The pleasure would be mine." Yang smirked, but also felt herself blush a little.

On the bleachers, the rest of team RWBY was staring at the enormous man. Ruby quickly closed her game, and brought up the phone function of her scroll. Pyrrha answered after three rings. "Ruby? What is it? It's very late here." Her voice was mildly distorted by the blizzard, but Ruby was able to understand her.

"Hey Pyrrha. When you were at that tournament with team WNTR, what was the name of the guy whose match you missed?"

"It is a little hard to remember, but I believe it was T... something. I'm very sorry, I can't recall more than that. May I ask why?"

Yang and Thor stood on opposite ends of the arena, arms at their sides. Yang was half-smiling, a spark in her eye that told Ruby she was really excited to finally fight _something_. Thor looked relaxed, but Ruby could tell he was mentally evaluating Yang. "You are never going to guess who I'm about to watch."

* * *

><p>Yang cracked her knuckles and shook out her arms. Leaning her head to either side, she cracked her neck, and exhaled slowly. "Care to make this a little more... interesting?" She asked the giant warrior opposite her. "I win, I get... your cloak, I guess." She liked the idea of upping the stakes. She wanted something to prove that she had beaten a member of team WNTR, a trophy to take back to Beacon.<p>

"Very well. My terms are, if I win, you introduce me to your white-haired friend on the bleachers." Thor said, nodding his head at Weiss. Yang felt her mild blush fade away into nothingness, and slowly turned to look at Weiss. The heiress's eyes and mouth were wide open in surprise. On either side of her, Blake and Ruby mimicked her expression.

Weiss recovered quickly, and, rolling her eyes, said, "Alright, fine. Whatever." and rested her chin in her hand. "Just get on with it." Blake accepted this as a response, and turned back to the arena, but Ruby kept staring at Weiss. The red-haired girl reached around and hugged her embarrassed partner.

"Ohmygosh, look at how much you're blushing! Yay, Weiss has an admirer!" She squealed.

"Get off me, you dolt!" Weiss threw her hands up to get out of the suffocating hug, and pushed Ruby away. The younger girl immediately started messaging her friends on her scroll. Weiss covered her face with her hand. This was so embarrassing, how could this have happened so suddenly? They were here for a mission, and she would not allow this surprise... romance... to get in the way of that. Still, she could feel her cheeks brightening, and felt a little tingle in her chest.

Yang looked back at Thor, "I guess that's a go." She raised her arms into a guard and entered 'battlemode'. She examined his size, guessing that he would use it to try and crush her all at once with his hammer. The armor might protect him from her dust shells, but not from her punches. She'd have to gain a lot of speed first though. She wondered what his semblance was, knowing that her's was probably not a secret. Thor slowly reached back and removed his hammer from its sling. Yang saw for the first time that there was a chamber near the haft that had six colored slots, similar to Weiss's Myrtenaster. She watched him rotate the haft until the white slot started to glow. This was about to get interesting.

* * *

><p>The two fighters started circling each other, keeping a moderate distance between themselves, eyes locked. Yang winked, and sprinted forward, using a blast from her gauntlets to increase her speed. She watched Thor prepare for the attack, sliding one foot backwards into a forward lean, and holding his hammer horizontally, bracing for a block. She fired downwards, flying up and spinning into a falling kick. Thor adjusted his center of gravity, and raised his hammer, blocking the falling girl. Yang flipped off the hammer, landing and crouching low to the ground. She maneuvered into a hard uppercut, but Thor stepped backwards, evading the golden fist. The large man swung his hammer around in his left hand, but Yang ducked and scampered back. He was slow, she thought, and this wasn't as hard as she had expected. She prepared herself as Thor started running at her from across the arena, hammer held off to his left side. She charged to meet him, ducked the swing, and hammered into his chest with her right fist. The giant lion faunus lifted off the ground about an inch, armor undamaged. He let out a small, short laugh, "Oof. Felt that one." then threw a vicious left hook that Yang had to block with both her weapons. Sparks exploded from the impact, and she shot off to the side, crashing into the arena wall. She stood, and fired a barrage of shells while running back toward her opponent. Thor ran through the assault, dust explosions contouring along his armor ineffectively. Yang leaped into a horizontal flying kick, coating her foot in aura to increase the force. It connected solidly with Thor's chest, pushing him back a little, but his hand caught her leg, and he threw her upwards. She corrected her trajectory by firing a couple shells, and rocketed back towards the large faunus. Just before she smashed his head in, Yang noticed Thor had switched the dust on his hammer. Her powerful fists smashed into an aura shield, and it rebounded her oddly, sending her flailing back into the air.<p>

The hammer smashed into her back, and she felt a rib crack. She landed painfully on the ground, creating a small, circular indentation in the stone floor, and heard another rib fracture. However, she was now fired up, having taken a significant amount of force. Eyes bright red, she flew forward, firing round after round into Thor's armor, staggering him. He attempted to punch her, but she caught the fist and flipped over it, pushing off to smash a strong kick into his head. Flipping around, she fired a shell into his eyes, but he blocked it with his hand. She landed, only to launch back into motion, smashing several hits on Thor's chest. He landed hard, but rolled back up into a guarded posture.

He looked ready to continue the fight, but then stood upright and laughed enormously, his voice echoing off the stony walls. "That was a good fight! Shall we call it a draw?" Something about his smile and the look in his eyes told Ruby that the situation had changed. It appeared that Yang had him on the ropes, but she knew different. Thor was holding back, a lot. Her excitement was poisoned by worry as she watched Yang shake her head.

"I'm not done with you yet." the blonde said, steam rising from her head. She cocked her gauntlets, and started running once again. Thor's smiled disappeared, and he raised his right hand, palm facing outward.

It happened so fast, Ruby believed she was the only one who saw it. White, crackling light had enveloped Thor's armor, shot out from his hand, and zapped into her sister. Yang was now screaming in agony as she had once again smashed into the walls. Ruby stood up on the bleachers, quickly followed by Blake and Weiss. Yang's hair had stopped steaming, and as she stood, Ruby could see a black scorch mark on her left shoulder.

Breathing heavily, the blonde locked eyes with the faunus, and nodded. "A draw then. Until next time." She walked toward her team on the bleachers, clutching her chest and shoulder. Blake and Weiss jumped down to meet her at the bottom of the steps, and sat her down. Ruby flashed over to Thor, who had started to walk to the exit. He stopped when she appeared in front of him, fists clenched, and looked down into her silver eyes. Ruby wasn't sure what she saw inside those brown eyes, but caught pieces of anger, pain, and, surprisingly, shame.

"I am sorry. I took it a little too seriously." Ruby sensed the honesty, and nodded. She pointed at his cloak.

"That belongs to my sister."

"It was a draw."

"Then both sides get what they want." Thor broke the stare by looking down at his boots. Ruby saw a little red creep in behind the dark mustache. "Come on, she wants to meet you too." The large man smiled, and turned around. "But first you need to apologize to Yang."

He looked back, conviction overlapping the previous emotions in his eyes. "I know."

They walked together back to the three girls on the bleachers.

* * *

><p>Ruby switched with Weiss in helping Yang to the bleachers, allowing the older girl to approach the large man. It was a funny picture, the tiny white-haired girl beside a giant. Thor was blushing, avoiding Weiss's eyes and rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "Come on, we'll talk over there." Weiss grabbed him by the hand and dragged him toward the weapon racks. Ruby and Blake gently sat Yang down on the bleachers and asked if she wanted anything. The brawler waved them off, instead asking about the fight.<p>

"Did you see what he did?" She said between gasping breaths.

Ruby looked at Blake, who gave her an unknowing shrug. She sighed, then relayed what she noticed. "I think his semblance is lightning." The other two gave her surprised looks. "Can you two tell me anything I didn't notice?" She needed more information to finish evaluating this new... threat? Acquaintance? She didn't know how to arrange the pieces anymore. Was team WNTR an enemy?

Blake sat down next to her partner, and covered her mouth with a hand. "He's a lion faunus. He moves slowly but it's on purpose to disguise his strength. His hammer is very similar to Weiss's rapier, we should talk to her about it after their... meeting. I also think-"

She was interrupted by Yang laughing. "Ha ha! A _big cat _huh?" She jabbed an elbow into her faunus companion. "Too bad he's interested in Weiss, ain't it?"

Ruby was afraid Blake's glaring eyes were going to start shooting lasers through her injured sister. Yang just stared her down, raising her eyebrows knowingly. "Yang, focus please. What can you tell me after the fight?"

The blonde stopped antagonizing her partner and put on a serious face. "His armor is lined with dust. It felt different than most armor I've punched. He could be using it to store aura, and unleash it into the... lightning attack."

Ruby joined her teammates on the bench, resting her chin in her hands. "I guess we'll just have to wait for Weiss to get back." Yang, sensing that the discussion was over, returned to annoying Blake with raunchy scenarios between her and Thor. Ruby pulled out her scroll, filled Pyrrha in on the fight, and resumed her game, but not before sending a message to Sun: 'Tell Neptune he got big competition brah'.

* * *

><p>Weiss and Thor returned, the heiress seating herself next to her leader. She immediately held up a finger, nearly poking it up into Ruby's nose, clearly indicating that she did <em>not <em>want to talk about it. Ruby slowly deflated back into her seat, defeated by Weiss's silencing digit. The lion faunus laughed, and then bowed deeply. "It was a pleasure to meet you lovely ladies." He met eyes with each of them, taking extra time on Weiss, who rolled her eyes and looked away. "I look forward to working with each of you." He stood and walked out the north exit, tail swinging freely.

Yang quickly glanced at Blake and Weiss. "What a hunk, huh?" she said, elbowing them both. Ruby burst into laughter as Blake and Weiss both screamed obscenities at the brawler.


	5. Team WNTR

After checking that Yang was in fact perfectly healthy, although Ruby didn't really trust her sister's self-diagnosis, team RWBY decided it was time to get something to eat. Weiss had been the one to check the kitchen during the preliminary search, Yang and Ruby untrustworthy around food. Ruby opened the north door, exiting the arena while still mocking her partner. She stepped out from the arena and immediately ran into someone, causing them both to fall onto the ground.

"You dolt! Now look what you've done! You need to pay more attention!" Weiss's cold voice called from inside the arena.

"Agh! I'm so so so so so so so, _so _sorry! Are you okay?" Ruby asked of the person she had knocked down. She was wearing a long brown dress and a dark gray cloak. The hood had fallen back, revealing furry brown ears on the top of the woman's head. Ruby's eyes widened in recognition. Her victim slowly stood up, rubbing her right shoulder with a hand gloved in brown fur. She turned, looking at team RWBY, and smiled, slightly elongated canines featuring prominently.

"Oh, no, it's fine. Happens more often than you might think!" Her voice was smooth and light, reminding Ruby of... caramel flavored coffee. "I think it's my fault, really. Should have watched where I was going." She opened her eyes, locking them to Ruby's silver irises. Her eyes were bright, milky white. Blind.

Ruby half-smiled, unsure of whether to laugh or continue apologizing. Instead, she just kind of grunted. She turned and looked at her team, noticing that all three had also recognized the woman from the train station.

A voice called from down the hallway, tight and quick. "Rosaline!" A man came running from the main entrance, arms extended and face contorted in worry. "Are you okay?" He knelt next to the blind woman, holding her hands. "What happened?" He had shorter dark hair that surrounded furred ears, deep blue eyes, and a slim, straight nose. He was wearing a high-collared blue waistcoat over a black wool sweater, loose-fitting black woven pants with black leather gloves in the pockets, and tall leather boots. A blue scarf would have been wrapped around his neck, but it had fallen on the ground in his rush over to Rosaline.

"Relax, Napoleon, I'm fine. I just bumped into Ms. Rose." Napoleon flashed Ruby a look, then returned his attention to Rosaline. Ruby quietly stood up, wondering how Rosaline had known who ran into her. "I'm sorry, we haven't introduced ourselves yet. Napoleon, this is team RWBY. Ms. Rose, and team, I am Rosaline Calais, and this is my brother Napoleon." She said all this while still sitting on the floor. She finally allowed her brother to raise her to her feet, then held her hand out to Ruby. A little stunned by the past few moments, it took Ruby a full second to shake her hand.

"I'm very sorry about knocking you over. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, yes! Just forget all about it. How do you like the lodge? Have you met Thor? I think he'd be very interested to introduce himself to Ms. Schnee." This caused a small giggle from Yang. Weiss thumped her with an elbow to shut her up.

From further down the hall came a silky voice, that if it wasn't so casually authoritative, would have been almost seductive. "And now you've met the whole team."

Rosaline mouth widened into a huge smile, and she turned her blind eyes toward her team leader. "Jade! How have you been? Sorry we took so long." She and Napoleon walked over and chatted with the dragon-faunus. Ruby turned around to face her team, mouth open in shock. Had that exchange been real? Yang was nearly crying from containing her laughter, Weiss looked grumpy, which wasn't unusual, and Blake's eyebrows were raised in surprise.

"New team objective. Someone explain to me what just happened." She asked, confused.

Yang couldn't hold it in anymore, loosing echoing mirth upon the lodge. "Someone make it stop, it hurts to laugh! Oh my gawd!"

Jade appeared next to the four girls. "Would you like to join us for lunch?" She asked with a small smile.

* * *

><p>The large table was set with plates covered in food. Each place setting had its own small loaf of bread, a small dish of cheese, and cuts of various meats. Fruits and vegetables lay in bowls toward the center of the table. The two teams arranged themselves around the table, Jade positioning herself once again at the head of the table. Ruby sat on her left, with Blake next in the line. Weiss sat next to Blake, and Yang pulled up a chair at the end of the table. Rosaline sat across from Ruby on Jade's right, and Napoleon quickly chose the seat nearest his sister. Thor shrugged and took the seat opposite Weiss, causing the heiress to instinctively look at Yang. The blonde wiggled her eyebrows and winked, smirking. Weiss rolled her eyes and propped her head up with her hand, accepting the irony. While Ruby gazed in wonder at the amount of food, Blake looked up and caught Napoleon staring at her. He looked away, giving a disapproving shrug. She raised an eyebrow and narrowed her eyes, making a mental reminder to bring it up later.<p>

Jade broke the silence. "Now that we're all assembled," she asked, smooth voice drawing all their attentions. "We have much to discuss. Firstly, I think formal introductions are required. Team RWBY, it is my pleasure to introduce you to my team WNTR. At the end of the table is Thor Runesteel, stoic and brave. Beside him are the twins, Napoleon and Rosaline Calais, subtle and clever. I am Jade Winter, team leader."

"She's too modest to say that she's the strongest and most intelligent of all of us." Thor interrupted, receiving a stern look from Jade.

Ruby stood, gesturing to her team. "Team WNTR, meet team RWBY. Yang Xiao Long is at the end of the table, she's... feisty." Yang nodded, accepting that as a reasonable term to describe herself. "Next to her is Weiss Schnee, who's... very smart." Weiss and Ruby exchanged looks, a silent question of '_that's it?_' passing between the two. "On my left is Blake Belladonna, mistress of mystery." Blake rolled her eyes but smiled. "And I am Ruby Rose, cookie enthusiast and team leader." she sat, conscious of their attention.

Jade resumed speaking, accepting Ruby's sitting as permission to continue. "Well said, miss Rose. The next thing to do is to bring everyone up to speed. Napoleon, would you please relate to team RWBY the details of your previous mission."

The blue-clad faunus stood and cleared his throat. "Thor, Rosaline, and myself explored a small system of caves in the southwestern mountain range in search of evidence of Whisper's headquarters. A small pack of Beowolves was encountered and eliminated." Jade raised her eyebrows at the mention of the Grimm, but let her subordinate continue. "We located remains of encampments in several caves, but they appeared to be months old." He sat, finished with his report, and started making a sandwich.

"Well done, all of you." WNTR's leader said. "Grimm are surprising. I was certain we had cleared them out."

Ruby spoke up from behind a mountain of sandwiches. "They could be attracted to the conflict Whisper is causing."

"That was my guess as well. If you'll excuse me, I need to record this." Jade left the table, walked into the kitchen and descended a set of steps beside the sink.

Ruby was very confused, exchanging glances with the rest of Jade's team, all of whom shook their heads or shrugged. Thor explained it to her. "She makes sure to keep spotless records of all our missions. She gives them the highest priority, even over food or rest."

Yang, picking her teeth after finishing off several plates of meat and cheese, took the reins of the conversation. "So I guess the business part of lunch is over. Anybody want to-"

"What is your problem with me?" Blake interrupted, knocking over her chair as she stood. She slammed her hands on the table, glaring at Napoleon. "Have I offended you somehow?" All eyes in the room were now locked on the two arguing faunus. The blue-eyed man rose slowly and clasped his hands behind his back.

His eyes were half-lidded, and he raised his nose, as if everything about the situation bored him. "You are White Fang trash. Don't presume that, just because we are faunus, we support the extremes your group has taken."

Yang got out of her chair, eyes slowly fading red, and stood next to Blake. "Woah now, bud. She's not with them anymore."

"Does that make it better? Does that forgive her past? No, it means she recognizes that what she did was wrong, but it doesn't change anything." He sneered at them, face distorted in disgust. Ruby could tell that his words were picking at Blake's scabs, she was on the verge of tears, and she had to defuse the situation before Yang broke something. She started to move between the two sides, but was surprised when Rosaline stood and placed herself in front of her brother.

Her eyes were staring at the table as she spoke. "You must forgive him, he's impulsive. And it's not you, Blake, he just... doesn't really like cats." Yang and Blake both looked like they were about to explode at her, but were stopped as Weiss scraped her chair back, drawing their attention.

Softly clearing her throat, the heiress placed her hands delicately on the table. "Does that make it better? Does that forgive his words?" Milky white orbs darted from the table to stare at light azure eyes. "No, it means that you recognize that what he said was wrong, but it doesn't change anything. Blake has judged herself more harshly than anyone else, and you are not allowed to talk to her this way." Weiss and Blake locked eyes and they nodded to each other. Ruby was happy to see Weiss supporting their faunus friend, but the tension in the room was only growing. She saw Thor preparing to stand, and flashed in between her teammates.

Wearing a big smile and avoiding any eye contact, she grabbed Yang's shoulder and hooked an arm around Weiss. "We're very sorry but we're going to go on a quick walk it was very nice to meet you all okay thanks bye." And began walking out the exit, Yang protesting loudly.

* * *

><p>Yang was melting snow as she stomped ahead of the group, eyes glowing red. She would occasionally stop and punch a tree in half, causing miniature avalanches as the tree's payload fell all at once, then resume her rapid pace. Ruby and Weiss were hanging back with Blake, who had retied the bow around her ears.<p>

The whole situation was really pissing Yang off. How dare he say those things to Blake? He didn't understand her struggle, the turmoil the team went through when Blake ran off, the doubts she harbored about herself. The next time she saw his stupid, snotty face she was going to...

"Yang, slow down. You're going off the path." The blonde stopped, looking around. She had stomped about thirty feet off the path, heading off into unfamiliar forests. In the middle of the blizzard, she could have gotten completely lost. Her rages tended to cause her to zone out. She rejoined her team, still fuming.

"Maybe we should beat it out of them."

"Beat _what _out of them, Yang? We don't know what the true story is yet." Ruby was huddling close to Blake, wrapping her cloak around them both. "We still need more information."

"Well how are we going to get it? They don't seem intent on just telling us."

Weiss, slightly ahead of the other three, turned around, holding up a hand. "I have an idea. The blizzard is supposed to end tomorrow, meaning our mission begins then. I say we split them up, and try to gather information while they're separated."

Ruby nodded, shaking snow off her hood. "As good a plan as any, I guess."

Yang cracked her knuckles. "I've got dibs on Napoleon."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Yang." Ruby protested.

"International rule of dibs, sis."  
>"Dang! Alright, I'll go with Rosaline, Blake go with Jade, and Weiss you can go with..." she snickered a little. "You can go with <em>Thor<em>."

Weiss scoffed and turned around, resuming the walk around the path. "Oh, _grow up_!" She was only pretending to be angry. With her face turned away from the rest, she smiled, and attributed her rosy cheeks to the cold.

* * *

><p>When they returned to the hunting lodge, they found team WNTR waiting for them in the hallway. Napoleon stepped forward and politely apologized to Blake, assuring her it would not happen again. Afterward, Jade approached them. "We will be heading out a little early." She handed Ruby an envelope. "Join us at that address whenever you feel like. And I'm very sorry about lunch, it was terribly out of line."<p>

Ruby looked at Blake, who took a step forward. "Apology accepted. We look forward to working with you tomorrow."

* * *

><p>Several minutes after WNTR had left, Ruby joined her team in the arena. Yang was furiously exercising, working off as much steam as she could. Blake was sitting near her, and Weiss was reading on her scroll. Yang, hearing her walk in, dropped the weight she'd been lifting. "There go our plans. Now what?"<p>

Ruby smiled slyly at her sister. She turned to Blake. "Hey Blake, how warm is your coat?"

The cat faunus raised an eyebrow at her, confused. "Pretty warm, why?"

"You're going to follow them. The rest of us can't see as well at night, and you're quiet. Tail them and see what they're really up to."

Weiss looked up from her scroll. "What made you suspicious?"

"First, why would they change the plans? Jade said we'd go out after the blizzard, and yet off they go, at night, in the storm, and right after a completed mission? But that wasn't enough. The address in the envelope. It's in the center of the human village. Why send us there when Whisper is in the south? Something's up."

Wiping herself down with a towel, Yang walked over to stand next to Blake, resting an elbow on her head. "I'll go too."

Ruby shook her head. "I knew you'd want to, but you're not exactly... stealthy. Plus, as soon as you catch sight of Napol-whoever, you'd punch him in the face. We can't let them on, so you're staying."

Blake stood, putting on her coat. She pulled the black scarf over her mouth and nose, and wrapped her ribbon around her forearms. "See you in the morning." She slipped out the south exit into the frozen forest, golden eyes shining amidst the falling snow.


	6. Collision

She couldn't decide if the snow assisted or impeded her mission. It lowered her enemy's visibility substantially, and reduced the amount of noise she made, but at the same time it was _really _cold. Her fingers, uncovered and exposed to the frost, were so numb it was painful. Her boots were soaked through, and her ears were getting frostbitten. She was very careful to use her aura sparingly, in case the conditions worsened.

Trailing team WNTR by their rapidly vanishing footprints, she was confident she had almost caught up. She had gotten pretty good at sneaking in the past few months. She'd been pretty good before, but the recent affair with the White Fang had really sharpened her skills. Combined with her semblance, she was nearly impossible to detect. She noticed a light ahead, and concentrated even more on concealing her presence. Maybe she'd finally be able to get some answers.

The light came from lanterns that Jade and Rosaline carried, the dragon faunus leading her team on an invisible path known only to her. WNTR marched in silence, the only sound keeping Blake from being detected was the whistling wind the valley was famous for. So much for eavesdropping, she'd have to follow them the entire way. She jumped up into a tree, and followed along from above, careful not to disturb any large amount of snow. She was directly above them, meandering from branch to branch, listening for any break in the silence.

Rosaline stopped, throwing her right hand out in front of Thor. "Thor." The larger faunus looked at her curiously, a question forming on his lips. Rosaline's outstretched hand whipped upwards and pointed directly at Blake, her blind eyes staring after Jade. "There." Blake bit her lip and turned to move to another tree. She heard a _click_, and recognized it as Thor rotating the grip of his hammer.

Shit.

For a fraction of a second, everything in the forest was illuminated in brilliant white.

Silence was a welcome relief as the ringing left her sensitive ears. The vicious electricity had exploded the branch she'd been crouching on, and she could feel splinters digging into her back. It was past time to go. She didn't know how Rosaline had detected her, but now she had the monstrous Thor on her tail. She felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up, and quickly jumped to another branch. A blinding flash vaporized the shadow she left behind, crashing thunder substituting for a eulogy. She pushed out all other thoughts, focusing on which branch would make her the hardest target. Their plan had failed, and she needed to get back to her team. Adrenaline evaporated all the cold in her extremities, and gave her a boost as she made her way back to the hunting lodge.

* * *

><p>Yang was pacing around the arena anxiously. She wanted to get out there, confront WNTR, especially Napoleon, and beat their brains out. Especially Napoleon's, if she could find a brain in there. She doubted it. She was worried about Blake, alone in the cold. She trusted her teammate's abilities, but she was still outnumbered, under-equipped, in an unknown area. It was too dangerous for any one of them.<p>

She looked around at the rest of her team. Weiss was examining Myrtenaster, occasionally swinging the rapier around in an often-practiced form. Ruby was pacing back and forth by the bleachers, having a conversation with herself. Yang imagined she was talking herself through multiple scenarios based on what information Blake brought back. She started to walk toward the gym equipment when the south door flew open, gusting wind and snowy flurries. Blake appeared, looking exhausted. "Blake? Why are you-"

Her black-haired partner interrupted her. "He's coming." She quickly looked over her shoulder before jogging to her teammates. All four prepared themselves. Yang's gauntlets deployed, and she raised her arms into a guard. Ruby extended Crescent Rose and aimed it backwards, ready to attack. Weiss assumed a protective pose, pointing the tip of her sword at the open door. Blake unsheathed her blades, and readied herself.

A loud crashing noise accompanied by a section of the wall bulging inwards signaled the arrival of their opponent. Another crash and the wall fell apart into the arena. Yang immediately fired a screaming rocket at the hole, but it careened off into the distance. Thor dropped from above the hole, crouching from the impact. He maneuvered himself across the fallen wall and into the lodge, rising to his full height. His mohawk and mustache were covered in snow and ice, his speckled eyes furiously cold. He snarled, rage distorting his face. Everyone looked at Ruby, whose silver eyes glared with determination. "Take him down."

* * *

><p>Yang dashed forward, swinging a punch for the man's head. "Déjà vu, motherfucker." Thor's hammer came crashing into her side, flinging her away into the arena wall. Thor started marching toward the three remaining team members, slowly increasing in speed and raising his hammer. Weiss rotated to her blue dust, and plunged Myrtenaster into the floor, sending a row of ice spikes cascading toward the charging faunus. The ice encased Thor's feet, stopping him until he smashed it away with his hammer, red dust giving it a fire-like glow. He then threw his weapon at the heiress, but it was knocked to the side by a shot from Crescent Rose. Ruby then adjusted her aim, pointing the barrel at the defenseless enemy. Thor grimaced and raised his left hand. Ruby's eyes grew very wide, and she started to flash away, but the lightning struck her in the shoulder, inches away from her heart. Weiss summoned a glyph to catch her partner while Blake sprinted to attack. She leapt at the large man, dodging around his punches, and flipping over him onto his back. She prepared to stab Gambol Shroud into his heart, ending the fight immediately, but froze when she felt a crushing grip on her ankle.<p>

Yang stood, holding her side. Her energy was building, the tips of her hair glowing dimly. She turned to join her teammates and finish off their large opponent, but was bowled over by Blake's flying body. The partners tumbled together painfully against the wall, slow to start getting up. Ruby, recovering from the lightning, flashed at Thor, swinging Crescent Rose. The scythe cut long scratches along the lion's armor, but didn't pierce it. Staggered by the barrage of slicing metal, Thor crouched into a guard, fists raised. On Ruby's next attack, he grabbed the scythe just below the blade, raising the small girl into the air. Silver glared at light brown. She swung her legs up and kicked him in the chin, but it barely fazed the giant. He snarled at her and punched.

"RUBY!" Weiss called as her red-clad partner flew into a wall, dropping to the ground and laying motionless. The heiress looked to the other half of her team, but seeing them tangled together on the ground, she knew that she stood alone against WNTR's chosen champion. He had retrieved his enormous hammer, and was slowly approaching her.

Fierce anger filled Weiss, and shining white light enveloped Myrtenaster. Thor's hammer swung down at the tiny girl, but was stopped by a glowing white field that surrounded the heiress. She leapt up and struck with her rapier, disarming the giant. Several more strikes, combined with the deep cuts from Crescent Rose, shattered Thor's armor, the creaking steel falling to the floor in pieces. Thor was not any less impressive without his armor, Weiss noticed, but she was too angry to be distracted by his fabulous appearance. Nor was he affected by his loss of protection, for he roared and shot lightning from both hands. Weiss simply raised her sword in a block, and the lightning was absorbed by the blade. She rammed the point into the ground, and the lightning dissipated along the arena floor. "I've made some modifications." She said, smiling without warmth. Weiss flew forward, slashing and stabbing at the large defenseless faunus, disorienting him. He stumbled to one knee, and Weiss charged, preparing to pierce his neck. Thor raised his hands, palms upward, and zapped the white-haired girl in the stomach. She flew away, joining her partner against the far wall. Thor paused, catching his breath, and prepared to stand and finish off team RWBY.

A screaming rocket burst across his back, drawing his attention. "Guess who?" Yang was standing with bright red eyes and steaming hair, resting an elbow on Thor's hammer. He groaned as he stood, assuming a guarded stance. Yang grunted as she lifted the hammer, which was nearly as tall as she was, and started walking toward the faunus. Thor clasped his hands together and started building a massive lightning strike. Yang started spinning, golden hair whipping around as she extended the hammer. Lightning burst outward as Thor extended his hands, but it caught the head of his own hammer, and added to the amazing visual display of Yang's pirouette. Yang smashed the hammer into Thor's face with a yell, sending the large lion faunus careening into the arena wall. She dropped the weapon and started walking over to the slumped figure. Ruby, Weiss, and Blake joined her in standing over the defeated colossus.

He spat out a tooth, splattering red-tinted spit across the shattered pieces of his remaining armor. Bleeding and bruised, his speckled eyes met with each of theirs, and he grinned. "You win." His voice was hoarse and strangled, blood interfering with his speech. His brown eyes closed as he fell into unconsciousness, breathing very lightly.

* * *

><p>Ruby inspected her victorious team. Yang's hair was slowly cooling down, her eyes were already back to their vibrant lilac color. She was bleeding slightly from multiple cuts on her face and arms, and she was standing heavier on her right foot. Blake's right leg was clearly injured, her face had multiple bruises and she was bleeding from a cut above her left eyebrow. Weiss had a scorch mark in the middle of her coat, revealing burnt white skin, as well as a large shoulder bruise and a black eye. Ruby herself was similarly injured, with some small scratches on her face and arms where she hit the wall. Blake interrupted her inspection. "Now what do we do? I can't catch up to them now, and even if I could, they know we're onto them."<p>

Weiss brushed herself off. "Although we still don't know what they're up to." She poked a finger through the hole in her ruined coat and sighed.

Yang cracked her neck. "We could've asked him, but at this point I doubt we can get him to talk without killing him."

Ruby surprised them all by jumping up. "Oh!" She exclaimed, smiling. "I just remembered." The rest of her team looked at her in expectation. Weiss motioned with her hand to continue. "Sorry. Do you guys remember what he said at lunch? Jade keeps _meticulous records_."

Blake nodded, dabbing at the blood above her eye. "And you think they'll give us some idea of where the rest of WNTR is?"

"It's our best bet. You guys patch up, I'll go take a look." She left the room, rose petals trailing softly behind her.

* * *

><p>She walked down the sixteen steps into the darkness. Feeling along the stony wall until she found a switch, the quiet blackness was cast aside to reveal a small, barely furnished room with a table and chair in the center. The east wall was lined with bookcases, each filled with binders and notebooks with clearly printed labels. Ruby recognized the handwriting as the same from the invitation that brought them all here. In the southeast corner was a fireplace, and Ruby lit it to bring some warmth into the basement. Another bookcase rested against the south wall, holding what appeared to be novels and storybooks. She raised her eyebrows at this, but continued investigating the room. A large rack lay next to two refrigerators on the west wall, covered in pieces of armor and half-finished weapons. Having surveyed the room, she walked to the table and sat. A notebook was resting open, green letters lining the pages. Ruby checked the title and label. "VotWW: Mission 014. Success. Moving Zero Day forward. RWBY unsuspecting." She flipped through the pages. "VotWW: Mission 06. Success. RWBY accepted." Ruby was now enraptured.<p>

She had to find the plan, the reason WNTR left early, had been so secretive, attacked them. What were they up to? She was there for a couple hours, and went through three notebooks. When she finally found it, she couldn't look at anything without green lettering dancing across her vision. But she had found it.

And it sickened her.

* * *

><p>RWBY had moved into the bedrooms, the arena unsuitable due to the outrageous hole knocked in the wall. They had restrained the unconscious Thor in the attached closet using some of Blake's spare ribbon. Yang was healed, her aura regenerating her strength quickly, but her teammates were not as quick to recover. She was helping to bandage Weiss's midsection when her sister opened the door. "Ruby! Did you find out-" She stopped when she saw her leader's face. The silver eyes were desperate, weary, and... enraged. "What?" The entire team's attentions were now on Ruby.<p>

She sat on one of the beds by the door and rested her elbows on her knees, letting her head and hands hang freely. "They're going to destroy the humans." Yang's eyes widened, Weiss gasped, and Blake covered her mouth in shock. None of them interrupted the red-cloaked girl as she continued. "There are two locations above the hamlet that are rigged with dust charges. A couple avalanches, and _poof_, no more human government. A third location in the south will set fire to several faunus-owned businesses, then blame the humans, starting a riot. The angry villagers will charge up the valley, killing every remaining human. But here's the real plot. The ones responsible for everything, the ones who killed all the faunus, started all the fires... are us."

Yang's hands tightened into fists. "What?" she asked, incredulous.

"We've been working with the government to persecute the faunus citizens. Or so WNTR will say, as they lead the charge."

Blake stood, and sheathed Gambol Shroud on her back. "So, how do we stop them?"

Ruby rose from the bed, and turned to face the doorway. "We're splitting up, just like WNTR has. Yang, you've got the northwest mountain."

Yang cracked her knuckles together. "Napoleon?"

"Napoleon. Blake and Weiss, you two are the most injured so I'm sending you together. You're headed to the northeast mountain to stop Rosaline." The two girls nodded.

Weiss lay a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "But Ruby, that means that you're..."

"I'm headed to the south, to meet Jade." This was unacceptable. WNTR had betrayed everything they'd dedicated their lives to as hunters and huntresses. Monsters. Murderers. _Betrayers_.

The normally upbeat and energetic leader was more furious than she had ever been. This stopped now.

* * *

><p>The four girls stood in front of the hunting lodge, the thick snow collecting on their hats. Ruby raised Crescent Rose at the sky. "Let's go." She disappeared in a flash of red petals, far-off gunshots the only indicator of her direction. Blake and Weiss started running, bounding into the trees with a glyph. Yang breathed deeply, feeling the cold air spread through her lungs. Then she tore off at a sprint, leaving a glowing trail through the forest.<p> 


	7. Purpose

Trees were blurs in her peripheral as she sped through the dark forest, her path illuminated only by her glowing hair. The heavy snow and fierce wind did nothing to slow her down in her pursuit, her burning rage allowing her to ignore all but the most intense storms. Several minutes ago she'd discovered footprints, and now she raced toward her opponent, vengeance the sole occupant of her mind. She couldn't wait to see that smug, snobby-nosed prick and punch his teeth in. She leaped over the crest of a hill, firing a round backwards to gain extra speed. Her game of catch-up was almost over. She landed hard in the snow, rising to her feet to confront her enemy.

In the middle of a clearing stood a tall figure holding a lantern, dressed in tall leather boots with fur cuffs, a long green cloak lined with fur, and a thick green woolen dress. Four dark horns extended from her forehead, standing out against bright white hair. Yang felt her heart skip a beat, her rage poisoned by a tiny fear. Jade turned around and smiled sinisterly. "Looking for someone?" she called in her quiet, silvery voice. "For me, perhaps?"

Yang glared and knocked her fists together, creating a small explosion. "Jade..." she hissed. "What are you _thinking_? Why do all of this?" Steam snaked its way upwards from Yang's hair.

The dragon shrugged, eyes roving around in an imitation of recollection. "For the power. The reason we didn't like the White Fang? They wanted _equality_." She laughed, shaking her head. "Fools. We want _superiority_. Starting here, in the valley, WNTR will lead the faunus revolution and eliminate humanity."

Yang started to circle around the horned woman. "Then why bring us? Why not an all-human team? Blake's a faunus, in case you hadn't noticed."

Jade crossed her arms. "We needed someone to take the place of Whisper if we failed."

Her words caused Yang to pause. "So you know who Whisper is? You were helping him?"

The white-haired woman burst into laughter, doubling over and holding her chest. "Oh, you are so dense! My name isn't Jade _Winter_, it's Jade _Whisper_. _I_ am Whisper."

Yang cocked her gauntlets. "Whatever. I don't care who you really are, I'm stopping you." And with a scream, she flew forward.

* * *

><p>Blinding snow concealed the mouth of the cave, the shallow footprints the two girls left behind them already filling up. Blake was glad to be out of the freezing wind, it slowed her down and hurt her ears. Weiss seemed unaffected, and she was casting her eyes around the cavern in search of their adversary. A curt, snappish voice called from further in, the speaker concealed by stalagmites. "I see I was the unlucky one, having to deal with the ice princess and the... <em>feline<em>." He spat the last word. "Very well, let's begin."

Bright, fierce light shown from deep within the cave, causing the teammates to cover their eyes. Blake barely managed to dodge the horizontal swing by ducking and flashing away. Weiss thrust at their attacker, but Napoleon parried. For the first time, Blake got a look at his weapon. A long sword, its blade undulating from side to side. She unsheathed Gambol Shroud, splitting it into both blades, and charged. Her swords met the flamberge, catching in one of the waves, and the two hunters glared at each other. Blake shadowed backwards, the apparition being cut through by the wave-bladed sword.

The fight continued, the three warriors slicing at each other with their swords, each attempting to land the crucial blow. The nearby stalagmites were shattered, centuries of construction undone in moments. Blake flashed around Napoleon, trying to get a better position, but the blue-eyed faunus would reorient himself toward her. Weiss rotated her hilt, and with a downward stroke sent a long row of flames at their opponent. Napoleon dodged the flames, landing expertly on his feet and holding his sword in a guard.

Blake's eyes widened as she came to a strange realization. "Weiss, his semblance is light." The blue-eyed girl looked at her in confusion. She'd obviously figured that out by now, so why was Blake mentioning this now? "Know of anyone who... has a little trouble with their eyes?" Blake was smirking, the sly upward curl of her mouth uncharacteristically malevolent. Weiss' eyebrows raised and her jaw dropped when it finally clicked in her head.

Napoleon had obviously caught on as well, because he snarled menacingly and charged at Blake. The cat-faunus swiped his sword away, countering with a thrust from her katana, but Napoleon caught the blade on the handguard. Her golden eyes glared at him with knowledge. "You blinded your sister!" The vicious accusation made him falter, and allowed Blake to score a cut on his chest. He cried in pain, swinging wildly at the black-haired huntress.

Weiss cut in with Myrtenaster, knocking aside Napoleon's crazed strikes, putting him off-balance. With her right hand, hidden from the wolf-faunus behind her back, she created a small glyph under Blake. Weiss leaped upward and flipped over to Blake's left, narrowly avoiding a dangerous thrust from Napoleon. Now, with some distance between them, Weiss activated the glyph, and Blake unleashed a flurry of augmented slashes that cut through the surrounding stalagmites.

In an act of desperation, Napoleon attempted to blind the two girls with a stroboscopic light, but Blake's attacks had too high an area of effect to be influenced only by her sight. Several slashes in quick succession disarmed the wolf, and several more sent him flying back into the cave, smashing through stalagmites as he went.

* * *

><p>When he opened his eyes, Weiss had a foot planted on his chest and her rapier aimed at his throat. Blake was beside her teammate, arms crossed and eyes glaring. "You filth!" he spat. "You outrageously lowly creatures!"<p>

"Shut up!" Weiss said, increasing the pressure on his chest and pressing the tip of Myrtenaster to his throat. "No one deserves your hateful words, especially Blake!" Napoleon shut his mouth, wisely, but continued to snarl at the two girls. "Now, where's the bomb?"

The wolf-faunus withheld the answer, opting instead to spit at Weiss, the glob of saliva landing on the edge of her dress. Blake kneeled down next to the huntsman, shaking her head. "Wrong move." She stood and stretched. "I'll go find it. Leave a piece of him for me." She called as she walked further into the cave. Napoleon watched her leave with a grimace, then turned to face the heiress. His face turned white when he saw her eyes.

Staring into the ice-blue irises of the young huntresses eyes seemed to drain what little remained of the warmth in the cave. He could barely breathe from the pressure of her heels on his chest. Her eyes burned with freezing rage. Napoleon's formerly stoic attitude vanished, and he let out a little whimper as Myrtenaster's tip pressed lightly on his throat. "You. Are. _So_. Dead." Weiss hissed.

* * *

><p>Blake returned from defusing the dust-based charge to find Napoleon frozen to the side of the cave, unconscious, with small veins of red liquid streaming from under the ice. She gave her teammate a questioningly concerned look. Weiss shrugged. "I mean, he'll <em>live<em>. Barely."

The two left the cave, journeying back toward the hunting lodge to meet up with the rest of their team.

* * *

><p>Rocketing along the treetops like a burning comet, Ruby soared toward the location mentioned in the book she found in the basement. Amazingly, she was able to spot the remains of footprints through the obscuring snowfall, and adjusted her course. She landed in the snow, slamming Crescent Rose into the ground to slow her down, stopping just in front of a dark figure dressed in brown, illuminated by a small lantern. "Rosaline?" Ruby asked, confused. She was supposed to meet-<p>

She jumped backwards as the knife blade sliced a snowflake in half, millimeters from where her neck had been moments before. The wind died down, and she could hear the whirring of spinning blades. Two channels were forming in the snow beside Rosaline, who was spinning a chain in either hand as she advanced on the young huntress. Ruby raised her scythe and fired, expecting to take out the blind woman almost immediately. Rosaline tilted her head to the side, and continued advancing, obviously unharmed. The brown-cloaked woman whirled her knives in a wide sweep, slicing toward Ruby. With a quick flash, Ruby was above her opponent, then firing a shot to send her zooming downward. Rosaline retracted her knives, and using both hands blocked the enormous blade that attacked her from above. "She knew you'd come here, so I went instead. I'm the perfect match for you." Rosaline said, blind eyes flicking upwards to meet surprised silver irises.

The two separated, Ruby landing back in the snow and preparing to launch into a whirlwind of spinning metal, but was suddenly on the defensive as Rosaline's knives came singing toward her. She flashed to the left, but had to duck as the knives chased her. She spun her scythe around, knocking aside the second knife, but then dodged backward as Rosaline appeared in front of her, stabbing at her chest. Ruby slashed at the woman, but Rosaline backed away, incredibly light on her feet despite the deep snow. Ruby watched the knives begin to spin again, their paths carving trenches in the snow around the wolf-faunus. In response, Ruby started swinging Crescent Rose around in a practiced form that would demolish anything within reach. The knives shot out, but dinged off of the spinning scythe. Rosaline spun them up again, approaching the red-cloaked girl. When they were several feet apart, they both unleashed a flurry of attacks.

Crescent Rose and the knives were in perfect harmony, each scratching off each other sending sparks sizzling out into the freezing cold. Whenever an opening presented itself, the two women would strike out, but neither scored a successful hit. The two were locked in a stalemate, weapons acting as razor-sharp accessories in their deadly dance. Rosaline reminded Ruby of a particularly agile opponent with a parasol. They broke apart, pausing to catch their breath before resuming the dance of blades. Rosaline wrapped a chain around the scythe, immobilizing the weapon and surprising Ruby. The other knife started its whirl, getting closer and closer to Ruby's body. Thinking quickly, Ruby fired Crescent Rose, pulling the wolf off-balance and freeing her weapon. She then twirled around and kicked Rosaline in the chest, winding the woman. Rosaline recovered quickly, once again spinning her blades in a Venn diagram of steel.

"How did you let me run into you?" Ruby asked in the short intermission. "Your semblance obviously lets you 'see' the world, so how did I knock you over when we met?"

The blind faunus never paused. "Just what I said. I wasn't watching where I was going."

Ruby realized she needed to end this soon, or else Rosaline would outlast her. She flashed forward, spinning her weapon to deflect the whirring blades. Rosaline reared backward and threw her knives straight at the young huntress, who blocked with the large scythe blade. Rosaline barely had time to retract the chains before Ruby was in front of her. She could only watch in blind horror as the enormous scythe fell, reaching her arms out to defend herself.

* * *

><p>Ruby stood over the bleeding body of Rosaline, her breathing heavy and ragged. She pawed at an irritating scratch on her cheek, smearing blood on the sleeves of her sweater. She was tired, so tired, and between the freezing cold and her multiple wounds, she wanted nothing more than to lie down next to a warm fire and sleep. But she couldn't. Something in the back of her mind was screaming incomprehensibly at her. "What?" She asked herself. "What am I forgetting?" She closed Crescent Rose and returned it to its place on her back. She took a deep breath, released it in a long sigh, and returned to the body of her opponent. "Rosaline. Why?" she asked of her injured enemy, tears forming in silver eyes. "I didn't want to do this."<p>

The wolf faunus, between shivering and clamping her hand over the bleeding stump of her arm, somehow found the energy to turn herself over in the snow, white eyes staring blindly into silver. In a weak, shaky voice, "When we got here... we found them. I was the one who... sensed them. The humans, had taken prisoners." The white eyes, normally so blank, were shining with fire, blindness unable to disguise emotion. "Dissidents! Faunus who protested... about the _injustices_! Taken to _torture chambers_!" She was gasping for breath between tears, but still the fire burned. "How dare they! To us, the superior race! So we stopped them, and punished them." She screamed in frustration and pain. "Wewere in the right, and youhave destroyed _everything_ we've done."

Ruby sighed, feeling the exhaustion taking over. "There had to have been another way, Rosaline. Huntresses don't kill people, faunus or human." She looked down at the brown-haired woman, and realized she was unconscious, pain and shock overwhelming her anger. She took a flare from her belt and fired it upward. Someone from down below would find the faunus and treat her. Ruby turned and started making her way back toward the hunting lodge.

The nagging feeling in the back of her head returned. Ruby tried to focus on it, decipher what she was trying to tell herself, but she was so tired... if only she could take a moment to...

Rosaline.

"What? Wait..." Ruby's half-lidded eyes flicked open, before slowly descending once again. She found herself lying on the ground, the falling snow already beginning to bury her. "What was I..."

Rosaline. It was _Rosaline_. She fought _Rosaline_.

"What is it... about Rosaline!" she mumbled, struggling to raise herself to a sitting position.

ROSALINE. WHY DID SHE FIGHT ROSALINE?

And then it all came back to her, and she jumped upward. By the time she had landed, her scroll was already in her hands with a half-finished text message on the screen.

She had been looking for Jade.

* * *

><p>She was absolutely still, staring at the home screen on her scroll. She'd sent three messages. One to Blake, asking if she was alright. One to Weiss, asking who they fought. One to Yang...<p>

Her eyes widened. Yang had forgotten her scroll at Beacon, they had no way of contacting her. Her vibrating scroll drew her focus.

'Message from: Blake Belladonna

We're OK. Nothing major.'

She sighed in relief, one weight being lifted from her heart. Another buzzing, and silver eyes read the message frantically.

'Message from: Weiss Schnee

We fought Napoleon, were expecting Rosaline. You?'

Ruby typed as fast as her frozen fingers allowed her, panic making her sloppy.

'Message to: Blake Belladonna; Weiss Schnee

I fought R. Y has J. Needs help! Go quick!'

She threw her scroll back into her pocket and readied Crescent Rose. Taking a deep breath, she flashed into the air, but crashed down moments later. She was too tired to use her semblance, her aura drained by her duel with Rosaline. She aimed Crescent Rose behind her and pulled the trigger, but her legs collapsed under her and she succeeded in only launching her face into the freezing snow. She had to get to Yang. "Yang... I'm coming! Don't...die..." her eyes closed as her exhaustion pushed her into an unwilling unconsciousness.


	8. Whisper

Freezing snow met steaming blood as Yang lay facing the gray, cloudy sky. She could feel her heart pumping, she could hear screaming in her ears, and she could see the glowing figure standing over her. It felt like an eternity as she turned her head to look at Ember Celica laying just out of reach, a thin layer of snow already accumulating on top. She reached out, extending her frozen fingers helplessly. She was only inches away...

"Give up, Yang." The voice sounded from above her, and Yang turned her head once again to look into the deep shining green of her opponent's eyes. "This is the end."

"It ends when... I end you... bitch." Yang coughed out. "My team will, Ruby will-" She was interrupted by a painful kick to her side. She screamed, in rage, pain, and frustration, her red eyes matching the surrounding snow. "Do... that again, I dare you." The kick returned, and she used the momentum to roll herself over. She pushed herself to her knees, then further until she was standing. Blood streamed from the wounds on her legs, and she could only barely manage to balance. She raised her fists, "It ends... when... I end it." The snow caught in her hair began to melt as her rage climbed. "Bring it, Whisper."

* * *

><p>Ringed by hundreds of broken trees, the two women stood facing each other. Yang was slowly melting the snow around her, the rage building up. A shining gold, surrounded by a mix of red and white. Whisper was standing in a prepared stance, locking her eyes to Yang's. A deep green collecting the gleaming white. Whisper extended her hands down to her sides, and a shimmering green haze appeared. Yang noticed that the snow by Whisper's feet was being slowly depressed. She eyed Ember Celica, lying a step away.<p>

Whisper caught the brief glance. "This is the end, Yang. I'll finish you, then your team." She lunged toward Yang, claws of pure aura extending in front of her. Yang dived to her right, attempting to arm herself with Ember Celica. Whisper noticed and changed direction, clawing the ground. Ten geysers of snow shot out behind her as she sped for the shining girl. Yang ducked the claws, grabbing her right gauntlet, and rolled into a standing position. Whisper had already turned around and was speeding toward her again. Yang cocked her gauntlet, stepped into the attack and struck her opponent with a strong cross to the jaw. Ember Celica roared, spitting dust-infused explosives at the green-clad woman. Whisper used the punch's power and cartwheeled back into a prepared stance and swatted aside the projectile. Both girls took a pause to reevaluate their attack strategies.

Yang, armed with only one gauntlet, broke the silence by charging at Whisper, throwing her fist in a downwards punch. Whisper dodged, and Yang followed by throwing her shoulder forwards, knocking into Whisper, then spinning around into a kick that Whisper blocked with a translucent claw. Whisper grabbed at Yang's head with her other hand, but Yang fired her gauntlet and launched backwards. Unfortunately, in her injured state, she fumbled her landing, and slammed into a destroyed tree. When she stood up, expecting an attack, she saw Whisper rearing back, inhaling hard. Her flaming eyes widened.

A fireball the size of a deathstalker exploded toward Yang, cleaving a path through the falling snow. It engulfed Yang, and exploded into millions of sparks and embers. Whisper began walking to the smoking crater, but jumped to the side as a bright projectile launched from the smoke. "You can burn me once..." Yang's grin was a mix of amusement and confidence, despite the bleeding wounds covering her body. "Can't burn me twice... I'm already burning." She unleashed a storm of shells at her green enemy, running counterclockwise in an effort to acquire her left gauntlet, steam wisping from her hair. Whisper ducked the first shell, spun around the second, and flipped over the third, racing Yang for the remaining weapon. Yang was inches away, her arm outstretched, when a mass of aura pressed into her throat, driving her away.

Yang was on the ground again, staring directly into the deep green eyes of Whisper. One aura claw was holding down her right hand, the other was around Yang's throat. "You may be burning, but I burn hotter." She said quietly through a sadistic grin. Yang slammed her left fist into Whisper's face, but the dragon's grip didn't loosen. Whisper shifted her right leg onto Yang's left arm, pinning her down. She then raised her right arm, and the hazy aura glow brightened as she increased it's concentration. "Goodbye, Yang. I hope you burn hot enough to keep the cold of death away."

"When this finally ends, I'll be the one standing, and you'll be cold and alone in the snow. We'll see who really burns the hottest." The red of her eyes faded back to the usual purple. The fire inside had died down, the fight extinguished. The pain in her wounds returned, her gauntlet feeling incredibly heavy on her arm. Her breathing was shallow and irregular, and she felt her heartbeat beginning to slow down.

A high-pitched ringing noise forced her eyes open when she didn't remember closing them. She felt a large weight remove itself from on top of her, and then a weak push from below her. Yang raised her head and looked into the concerned amber eyes of Blake. Looking past her teammate, Yang saw a tense standoff between Whisper and Weiss. The two were several feet apart, Myrtenaster pointed menacingly at the faunus' face. "We need to move you out of here!" Blake cried, half to Yang and half to herself.

"Stand me up Blake, I need to finish this!" Yang could hear the singing of Myrtenaster and the cleaving scratches of Whisper's aura claws. "Bumblebee!" she said weakly.

Blake smiled slightly through her beginning tears. Yang could see multiple gashes on her face, and noticed that Blake's bow was wrapped tightly around her left palm. The long ribbon usually tied to Gambol Shroud was missing. Glancing down, she could see it was tied around Blake's ribs, glistening with blood. "You'll need this." Blake handed her the left half of Ember Celica.

* * *

><p>Weiss parried the claw that came arcing down from above, dodged the spinning kick that followed, then flipped away from the enemy faunus. Regaining her balance, she assumed the ready stance she had practiced so many times. Blake joined her on the right side, Gambol Shroud extended. A weak looking Yang stood on Weiss' left, fists half raised, eyes flickering red. The snow was thickening, briefly concealing their opponent. No words were exchanged between sides. All four women reacted simultaneously. Weiss boosted Yang's speed with a glyph while Blake and Yang started a barrage of dust-infused bullets. Whisper raised her arms in a defensive posture and charged forward. Weiss sped forward to meet her, and Myrtenaster's steel met with aura. Yang leaped over Weiss, smashing a fist into the claw, dislodging the sword and spinning into a kick. Whisper ducked under the flying kick and crouched into a more defensive posture. Blake appeared from behind her, slashing down with Gambol Shroud only to be blocked by an aura-guarded arm. Weiss, charging again, switched dust and summoned a red glyph beneath Whisper. The explosion blew Whisper away, but she landed smoothly in the snow, and the four resumed their original positions.<p>

Whisper's claws grew a more opaque green, and she began walking forward. The team readied themselves for another assault, but Whisper flashed forward, swinging with her claws and screaming angrily. Blake flashed away from a claw as it ripped through her shadow, while Weiss quickly changed to a blue dust and froze Whisper's right claw. Yang climbed up the mound of ice and swung down, planning to end this in one stroke. Whisper turned into the strike, accepting the burning fist on her shoulder before swinging up with her left claw to once again swat the golden warrior away. Weiss chose this time to strike, sliding into an attack that scored a piercing wound on Whisper's back. The howl that escaped from the faunus was otherworldly.

Blake swept in from the left while Yang charged from the right. Whisper's claw shattered its frozen cage, and the faunus caught both attacks with her protected hands. She threw Yang around and into Weiss, dislodging the steel rapier in her back. Pulling Blake along by her weapon, Whisper whipped her around in front of her and slammed her horned head into the cat faunus. Blake dropped, her head bleeding freely. Weiss had just regained her stance as Whisper turned to face her. The faunus' face was distorted into a furious snarl. Weiss rotated into the red dust, and prepared herself. Whisper lunged, claws extended, and Weiss countered by swinging Myrtenaster, planing the air with a red shockwave of power. Whisper flipped over it, and screamed another fireball into existence. Unprepared, Weiss was thrown backward to slam into a tree, slumping over. Whisper walked triumphantly over to an exhausted Yang, lying face down in the snow. Standing over her once again, "I admire your persistence, but you are inherently inferior. Observe the power of the master race." A green claw raised up, readying to finish the yellow warrior.

A deafening _crack_ seemed to freeze time in place. Amidst the falling snow, Yang watched a floating rose petal as it finished its journey to the ground. Whisper howled in pain as blood gushed from her broken horn. Flame erupted unintentionally as she screamed, its warmth prompting Yang to turn herself over. Squinting from the intense light, Yang watched as the green claws faded away to reveal hands cloaked in blood. She looked at the faunus, meeting her eyes, and seeing only fury. Another thunderous _crack_, and those same eyes filled with fury were emptied, and replaced by a dull sheen. The howling ceased, the gushing flame withered out, and Yang was able to see a large, curved blade of silver and red protruding from Whisper's chest. All the snowflakes began to be replaced by rose petals as the dragon faunus slowly collapsed to the frozen ground.

"Ruby..." Yang breathed out, just before collapsing into unconsciousness.

* * *

><p>The young girl looked around at the carnage wrought upon the once-tranquil forest. Broken, shattered trees encircling red-stained snow. The still bodies of her teammates arranged around the ring of destruction filled her heart with anger and sadness. It was her fault this had happened, because she had accepted this <em>monster's<em> invitation. She walked through the snow, boots stomping with malevolent purpose toward the horned woman. Her breath left her all at once, and tears gathered at the edges of her eyes as she realized what she had to do. "Jade..." she said, standing over the kneeling faunus, Crescent Rose resting across her shoulders. "How could you do all this?" She didn't really expect an answer, and raised her scythe.

Jade, barely able to move, raised her head, breath clouding faintly in the cold. "These peasants, thinking they can control us, lord over us. We're the superior race!" She spat with malice. Jade lowered her head and shivered, the first time Ruby had seen the dragon affected by the cold. "Every faunus I've met has been afraid of humans. When I met my team, they were fearful, cowardly souls. So I took them, showed them the truths of the world, and molded them into champions!" The dragon looked upwards, lost in reminiscence. "Thor never really accepted it, he would have fit in better with the old Fang. But Napoleon, and Rosaline to an extent, saw the truth, and joined me in my crusade. The valley was just the beginning! But now my dreams are lost, scattered into the white wind." Two tears flowed slowly down her cheeks, freezing before they reached her chin. She closed her eyes for the final time.

The downward slash silenced the forest, red splashing onto red. Her lips were pinched tight, holding back the scream of internal agony and external rage. Silver eyes sparkled with tears. She looked at the corpse for a moment longer than she felt she was allowed, then rushed to her sister.

Blood was still dripping from multiple gashes on the golden body. "Yang... I... I need you to be okay. I need your help!" Ruby fell to her knees, her palms turned upward as they rested in the snow. She was choking on her own breath, tears leaving sparkling trails as they cascaded down her face. "Please Yang... I don't know what to do..." She lifted her sister into her lap, teardrops landing in bright blonde hair. Had she been too late? Had she made the right choice?

She screamed a choked wail into the dark, uncaring sky.


	9. Reaper

Her eyes stared, fixated on an unidentifiable point on the ceiling as her dream replayed over and over in her mind. Falling snow swirling around bursting flame, angry green eyes, blood, rose petals. And again. Falling snow, pain, claws, blood, rose petals. Then it was just rose petals. Everything was covered in snow and rose petals. She looked down at herself, seeing that she was covered in red. And she woke up to see herself still blanketed in red.

* * *

><p>Yang slowly lifted herself into a sitting position and held the cloak to her lips. It was warm, but so was everything in the room. She peeked under the covers and inspected herself. Her legs were wrapped in beige cloth that was occasionally blemished with parallel, ugly, pink lines. Her arms wore similar bandages, but there were fewer pink scars. She was wearing black boxer shorts, and a faded yellow tank top. It was difficult for her to get out of the bed, she was very sore and anything but the smallest movements brought painful aches. She wrapped the cloak around her neck, put on some black pajama pants, and stepped into a pair of slippers. She took Ember Celica from their resting place on the dresser before stepping out the room, arms crossed over her chest.<p>

The cloak fluttered behind her in the light breeze as she walked toward the bench. Blake and Weiss were both staring at the ground with wide eyes, covered in bandages. Blake had beige covering her normally exposed midriff, as well as across the majority of her left arm. The faunus' head was bare, except for a band of red fabric wrapped around her forehead. Weiss had multiple small bandages on her face, and her right arm was in a sling. As Yang approached, they scooted apart and let her sit in the middle. "Can you fill me in?" Yang asked of both her teammates. Weiss sighed and leaned back against the bench. Blake dropped her head before raising it again, mouth opening to reply.

But the words came from another source, further behind the three girls. "They probably can, but I would like to give it a try first." All three students looked back at their headmaster. "If you'll allow me the chance."

* * *

><p>She walked slowly through the forest, admiring the colors of the Forever Fall. She had her full outfit on now, accessorized by the red cloak wrapped around her waist, billowing behind her. The air was on the thin line between pleasantly chilly and just cold enough, the breeze tipping it over the edge. But Yang Xiao Long did not get cold, especially not after their ordeal in the valley. She walked along the trail until it ended, then continued until her legs started to ache. She sat on a stump and waited, hands in her lap, eyes closed. She loved the smell of the forest. She opened her eyes when the smell became tainted with the scent of smoke and gunpowder. She could hear distant crashing and gunshots. She stood, brushed off the cloak, and continued walking. Piles of decomposing Grimm told her she was on the right path.<p>

She found her target sitting on the edge of the cliffs, massive scythe standing blade-down in the dirt behind the small girl. "Did you forget this?" Yang called to her sister, holding up the long red cloak.

Ruby didn't turn around, raising her voice just enough to be heard over the wind. "I don't want it anymore. It reminds me of a bad thing." Yang walked over to her and draped the cloak about her sister's shoulders. Ruby reached up and pulled the hood over her face, two tears falling slowly out from below the sheltering fabric. "It reminds me of my mistake." Her older sister sat down next to her and wrapped her in her arms. Ruby laid her head against the warm chest, more tears forming.

"Ozpin told me what's going on. What are you doing out here Ruby?"

She choked out a reply between gasps and sniffles. "I made a mistake, Yang. And I can't take it back, I can't make up for it!" She shuddered, despite the warmth of the cloak and the comforting embrace of her yellow-clad sibling.

In a quiet, almost whispering voice, "You didn't make a mistake Ruby." Yang said, stroking her sister's hair. "You didn't make a mistake."

"I DID! I've made so many mistakes!" Ruby cried out, tears falling freely. She pushed herself away from Yang and stood up. She grabbed Crescent Rose and flashed away, rose petals trailing in slow spirals behind her.

Yang sighed and slowly rose to follow her. "Couldn't she just have stayed? It hurts to walk you know..."

* * *

><p>Yang next found her sitting on a large stump, several Grimm corpses withering into cloudy dust nearby. Her weapon was collapsed next to her, and the cloak was folded beside it. Yang sat gently behind the red-haired girl, resting her legs. "Nobody... nobody blames you, Ruby. It wasn't your fault." Yang breathed out, trying to stop herself from crying.<p>

"You know how, before we left, everyone would call me 'Ruby the Runt'?" Ruby was staring at her hands, eyes still tearing up. She sighed, and leaned her back against her sister. "I was so much younger, and smaller than everyone else, and they made fun of me for it." Yang nodded, remembering beating up several of the culprits. "They don't call me that anymore. Not because you stopped them, but because... of what I did." She hugged her knees to her chin. "Now they call me 'Ruby the Reaper'." A shower of red leaves cascaded noisily around the two girls as the breeze picked up. "And they're right."

Yang lay down across the stump, her feet dangling above the roots. "Ruby... I-"

The younger girl interrupted her. "We're supposed to _protect_ people, not kill them. I couldn't protect you, or Weiss, or Blake, or anyone. And Jade... I killed Jade!" she screamed into the forest. She watched the leaves drift in the wind, replaying the night over in her mind. "I'm not any better than she is! Than she was."

"But we're here." Yang said, breaking the silence neither one had noticed. "Weiss, Blake, and I are all still here, still alive, thanks to you." The older girl turned, cradling Ruby's head until it rested in her lap. She looked down, lilac meeting silver. Those silver eyes were brimming with doubt and guilt. Hope and happiness were absent, a far cry from the beginning of this awful journey. She ran her hands through the short red hair, trying to express all her love through her fingertips. "The valley is still there, still alive. And that's the job of a huntress. To protect, to save. And you saved _everyone_."

Ruby turned over, staring out into the woods. She clasped her hands and kept them huddled by her chest. Yang reached over and picked up the cloak, blanketing it over the younger girl. Ruby once again pulled the hood over her face, as if the fabric would hide her from the stabbing guilt and sadness. She sat up, preparing to flash away once again, but Yang reached her arms around her shoulders, trapping her in a warm, comforting hug. Ruby started to cry, and she knew Yang had also as she felt cold wetness on her neck. "What am I going to do, Yang?" she cried, voice shaky with emotion. "I... I can't deal with this..." She let out a small gasp and could feel Yang's heartbeat against her back. Her sister held her tighter, kissed her head, then rested her chin on Ruby's shoulder.

"I'm just so happy you're still here." Ruby couldn't hold it in anymore. She let the sobs shake her, a whimpering cry escaping her lips on gasping breath. She could feel the same happening to Yang, the blonde burying her face in the red cloak. She cried out all her guilt, all the pain of having stolen a soul. "Come on, sis. Let's go back to Beacon. Weiss and Blake want to see you."

They sat there for several more minutes, until their tears stopped and they could breathe clearly. Ruby stared at the dirt, going over the past one last time. She could remove the guilt, but she wouldn't. It would stay there forever, the only permanent reminder that she had made a mistake. Yang stood up and held out a hand for her younger sister. Lilac eyes were met with silver ones that shone once again with happiness.

"Let's go back." Yang said, smiling while wiping away a persistent tear.

Ruby took the hand, and pulled herself into a hug with her older sister. "Thank you, Yang. I needed... all of this."

"Well, what are sisters for?" Yang bent over, picking Ruby up and carrying her piggyback on their way back to Beacon.

* * *

><p>Ozpin looked up from the paperwork on his desk as the door opened, and a small girl in a red cloak entered. "What can I do for you, miss Rose?"<p>

Ruby shuffled closer uncomfortably, her eyes still puffy and voice still wavering after crying. "I was hoping you could... explain something to me." Ozpin leaned back in his chair, and motioned with a hand for her to continue. "It's about team WNTR. As you know, one of their members was killed. By me. And I wanted to know, if... I did the right thing?"

Ozpin sighed, removing his glasses and setting them on the table. "Ruby, I allowed you to go to the valley because I knew that you would act in the best interest of the people. It is the duty of huntsman and huntresses to protect the people, against Grimm or against each other. In that facet, I believe you did the right thing. However, what I believe is right and what is truly right are not necessarily the same thing." He stood, walking over to the red-haired girl and resting a hand on her shoulder. "It is up to you to determine if your actions were justified. Reflect on this, and see me again if nothing is resolved."

Ruby looked up, meeting the headmaster's brown eyes. "Thank you, professor." She left reassured, but still uncertain.

* * *

><p>When she was alone in wakefulness that night, as she listened to Yang's snoring, Blake's light, purring breath, and Weiss's eerily silent sleeping, she allowed herself to once again think about team WNTR. She thought carefully about the moments immediately before she had reached her teammates.<p>

She leaned over the edge of the bed, looking down at her slumbering partner. "Weiss?" She called quietly, not wanting to wake the others.

"I'm sleeping Ruby."

"Do you think I did the right thing?"

"Yes. Now shut up."

She could always rely on her partner to be direct with her. Where Ruby was impulsive and improvisational, Weiss was calculated and controlled. Despite her definitive reply, Ruby was still unconvinced. "Are you sure?"

Weiss clambered out of bed and stood on the frame so she was face to face with her leader. "Ruby, what you did was _not_ wrong. Huntsman and huntresses are put into dangerous situations, and have to make split-second decisions. You're not the first one to kill someone, and you won't be the last, so stop acting like its the end of the world." She jabbed a finger in Ruby's face. "If you hadn't stopped Jade, no one would have. You saved my life, their lives," she motioned to the snoring duo on the opposite side of the room, "and you saved everyone in the valley. It's time to _move on_." The white-haired girl disappeared beneath the bunk. "Now, I'm going back to sleep, so stop talking to me!"

Ruby lay still, staring at the ceiling with her hands connected beneath her head. After what felt like hours, she finally decided.

She did the right thing, but she could never forgive herself for taking a life. She vowed to herself that she would never cut down another soul. She would wear the title of 'Reaper' as a reminder of Jade, of WNTR, and of her vow.

At last, she turned over and slept.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong> A large thank-you to everyone who read this far into this convoluted mess of a story. I'm sorry if this chapter feels particularly weak, especially after the last chapter, as I'm not very good at writing endings or anything involving 'feelings'. I hope everything makes sense.

Please, please, please leave a review. I have gotten painfully few in this endeavor, and would like to know what I need to improve on. Let me know what your favorite part was!

Once again, thank you very much for reading.


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